Don't Fall Away
by Archangel's Requiem
Summary: Sess&Kag After an incident in her time, Kagome starts to distance herself from InuYasha and the others. This has them all worried, especially Sango. One night, Kagome goes off on her own to take a short walk. When she doesn't come back...you review! lol
1. Distant Relationship

Summary- Sess After an incident in her time, Kagome starts to distance herself from InuYasha and the others. This has them all worried, especially Sango. One night, Kagome goes off on her own to take a short walk. When she doesn't come back, the group heads out immediately to search for her. As it turns out, the shards of the Shikon no Tama that Kagome carries attracted a demon and she was attacked.( This is not one of those stories when Kagome forgets her bow and arrows at the camp like an idiot. She just happens to need a little help.)Three guesses who

disclaimer- Well, let's just say that I wouldn't be putting up this disclaimer if I owned the show or the characters. However, I wouldn't mind owning Sesshomaru.giggle Anyways, if I did own InuYasha, you can believe that things would be _so_ much different. For example, Kagome would be with Sesshomaru and InuYasha would be...well, I guess he'd just _be_ there. It wouldn't make sense to get rid of InuYasha, then you'd have to find an entirely different name for it and it would throw off the plot entirely. But, then again, so would putting Sesshomaru and Kagome to gether. Enough of my babbling. On with the story!

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_Say good night_

_Don't be afraid_

_Calling me, calling me_

_As you fade to black_

_(EvaneScence: My Last Breath)_

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Don't Fall Away

Chapter One: Distant Relationship

Kagome peeked over the side of the well and sighed. Now that she had graduated school, she had almost no excuse to go home every week or so. But, no school also meant that she didn't have to wear the uniform anymore. Kagome's new outfit of choice was a baby blue tank top, a black velvet jacket, and a matching pair of black velvet jogging pants. She was hoping that she would get lucky and that InuYasha would be with Kikyo. She sighed in relief when she saw no one. Kagome hoisted herself over the lip and cautiously started walking toward Kaede's village. She could hear her heart beating in the calm silence of the forest. The atmosphere helped to calm her down a bit, but it did nothing for Kagome's sense of dread that kept building the closer she got to the village. Kagome stopped walking and took a deep, calming breath. She heard a stick snap and fought the urge to turn back and retreat to the safety of the well. Kagome searched her surroundings, and when she was satisfied that it was only an animal, kept going.

When she finally reached the village, Kagome pushed all thoughts of uncertainty out of her mind and attempted to act as close to her normal self as she could manage. She walked into Kaede's hut and waved. Sango and Miroku looked up and waved back at her. Kagome looked around the hut for InuYasha and hid the relief that she felt when he wasn't there. She went to the other side of the fire and took out her sketch book.

"Do you think something's wrong with Kagome?" Sango whispered to Miroku after about a week of the same behavior.

"Perhaps she's just tired." Miroku offered.

Sango frowned and looked over to the far side of the hut, which had become Kagome's new seat since about two days ago. "She's steadily been getting worse, though." Sango said. "I really do think that she may be purposely avoiding us."

"She just lookes tired to me. Remember, Sango, Kagome's not used to this kind of work like we are." Miroku pointed out.

Sango frowned again. She got up and walked over to Kagome and sat next to her. Kagome jumped and her face paled.

"Kagome, is something wrong? You're not really acting yourself today." Sango said. Kagome glanced around nervously and then looked back at Sango. Kagome smiled weakly and shook her head.

"No, I'm fine." Kagome said nervously. Sango raised her eyebrows at her.

"Really?" Sango asked.

"Yes, really. I'm fine. I'm just a little tired, that's all. You don't need to worry." Kagome said reassuringly. Sango frowned again, but went back to sit with Miroku and Kirara anyway.

Kagome sighed and looked back at her drawing. It was not something that any normal person would draw. It was a peaceful little village and it looked quite nice. There was only one problem with it; it was on fire. The small village was engulfed in a raging inferno that was slowly destroying it. There were dark figures standing by the edge of the forest, their eyes burning red, but not from the fire reflecting in their cold depths.

Kagome jumped as she heard InuYasha walk into the hut. He looked around and spotted Kagome in her corner and walked over to her.

"What are you doing?" he said, plucking the sketch pad right out of her hands.

"InuYasha! Give that back!" Kagome yelled.

"I don's see what's so important about this thing." InuYasha said, examining the drawing. "It's just a piece of paper with a picture on it."

"I don't care! Give it back, InuYasha!" Kagome said angrily. "Osuwari!"

InuYasha was slammed face-first into the ground. Kagome reached over and snatched her sketch pad back from him. Miroku and Shippo shook their heads, but Sango looked at Kagome with worry. She was sure that there was something wrong with Kagome other than what she claimed. Sango decided to keep an eye on her, just in case.

InuYasha got off the flore and glared at Kagome.

"What the hell was that for!"

"You were being an ass hole. I thought it would have been obvious." Kagome snapped, shoving her sketchbook into her back pack. "But I guess I was wrong."

Kagome got up and slung her considerably smaller back pack over her shoulder. She strode over to the door and stopped when Sango spoke.

"Where are you going, Kagome?" she asked. Kagome was silent for a second.

"For...for a walk." she muttered, then stepped out into the darkness. Kagome picked up a bow and some arrows that were sitting against the side of the hut and wandered into the forest. She walked along, following no specific path, kicking up dirt with her heels. Kagome sighed and looked up at the stars that shone through the trees. The sky reflected in her eyes, making them look like some sort of priceless gem. Kagome sighed.

A twig snapped somewhere behind her, and Kagome quickly notched an arrow. She backed into the shadows and held her breath. A demon walked into the clearing in front of her and stopped.

"I know you're there, miko." it said. "Now be a good girl and give me the shards of the Shikon no Tama, and I may spare your pitiful life."

"Over my dead body, ass hole." Kagome said. She shot the arrow into the demon's heart. It screached in agony and pulled the shaft out, but the head was stuck in its chest.

"You'll pay for that, bitch!"

The demon lunged at Kagome and she jumped behind a tree. Kagome quickly notched another arrow and let it loose in the demon's back.

"Is that you, Kagome-chan?"

Kagome whirled around and gasped.

"Rin-chan! What are you doing here?" Kagome asked breathlessly. "You shouldn't be here. I need you to go back to Sesshomaru."

"Sesshomaru-sama is not here. Sesshomaru-sama left Rin with Jaken. Jaken was supposed to be watching Rin, but he fell asleep, so Rin went to go find Sesshomaru-sama, but Rin found you instead!" Rin said quickly.

"Rin-chan, go hide until I'm finished, okay?" Kagome said pleadingly. Rin nodded and retreated just out of Kagome's sight range. Kagome turned back to the demon, who was still trying to remove the second arrow from his back. Kagome notched yet another arrow, but never got a chance to shoot it. Sesshomaru appeared in the small clearing and finished off the demon in one blow with his poison claws. Rin ran out of her hiding spot and threw her arms around Sesshomaru's leg.

"Kagome-chan saved Rin. She told Rin to hide while she killed the demon, but Kagome-chan didn't kill the demon." Rin said excitedly. Kagome smiled warmly at the child who was still clinging to Sesshomaru's leg. Kagome turned around and started to walk back to Kaede's village, but stopped when she heard Rin call her name.

"Where is Kagome-chan going?" she asked. Kagome turned around and knelt in front of Rin.

"I have to go back to my friends now." Kagome said apologetically. "We'll see each other soon, okay?" Rin nodded and Kagome smiled at her.

Kagome stood up and walked back into the forest. After she had walked for a few minutes, Kagome slowed her pace significantly. '_I don't have to go back just yet.' _Kagome thought. _'It wouldn't hurt to stay out a little longer.'_ With that settled, Kagome walked a few feet from the path she had chosen and sat down against an old tree. Kagome sighed and leaned her head back against the soft bark of the tree. Kagome felt her exhaustion taking over and was asleep within minutes.

"Kagome hasn't come back yet!" Shippo whined. Kirara walked over to him and nuzzled his cheek. Sango turned to Miroku and looked at him with a worried expression. Kagome had been gone since the previous night and Shippo thought that she left him.

"InuYahsa, maybe it's time that we go find Kagome." Miroku proposed.

"If she wanted to come back she would have done it by now." Sango glared at InuYasha and stood up.

"If you're not going to look for Kagome, then I will." she said. Sango picked Shippo up and walked out the door, followed by Miroku.

Kagome woke to the warm sun on her face. She opened her eyes and sighed. 'I should get back now.' she thought. Kagome stood up and stretched. She picked up her backpack, her bow, and her arrows and started walking back to the village. It only took her a few minutes to realize that she didn't remember which way she had come. Sure, she had fallen asleep right next to the path, but she just didn't know which direction to take.

"Okay, we need to deal with this in a mature fashion." Kagome declared. "Heads left and tails right." Kagome took a penny out of her backpack and flipped it; it was heads. She shrugged and headed west. After about a half hour, Kagome sighed in frustration and sat down on the path.

"I think I went the wrong way." Kagome stated. "Ugh! How does she do it? Kikyo runs all around here and she never seems to get lost! Shouldn't I have some sort of instinct on this stuff or something?" Kagome stood up and headed back the way she came.

Kagome heard a rustle in the bushes behind her and turned around. Rin jumped out of the bushes and ran up to Kagome.

"Hi, Kagome-chan! Rin saw you walking and decided to visit!" Rin said excitedly. She continued to chatter while Kagome was searching for Jaken or Sesshomaru.

"Rin-chan! Where are Sesshomaru and the other...thing?" Kagome asked. Rin stopped talking and tilted her head in a dog-like fashion.

"Rin left Master Jaken in a clearing because he fell asleep. And Sesshomaru-sama is going for a walk." Rin stated. "Rin didn't feel like listening to Master Jaken snore anymore. So, Rin went to go find something else to do."

"Rin-chan, you should't run around on your own." Kagome said gently. "Come on. Let's go find Sesshomaru."

"Okay!" Rin said hapilly. Kagome kept walking west with Rin in tow. They were walking for around a half an hour when something tugged at the edge of Kagome's senses. She stopped and Rin looked up at her. Kagome stood there, waiting for whatever was nagging at her senses to appear.

Sesshomaru walked calmly around the bend in the path and came face to face with Kagome who, for some reason unknown to him, had Rin standing slightly behind her. Rin's face lit up when she saw Sesshomaru and she ran to him and attached herself to his leg. Kagome tilted her head slightly, trying to grasp why this scene looked so strange. Then it hit her and she had to bite her bottom lip to keep from laughing.

"Rin is happy to see you, Sesshomaru-sama!" Rin exclaimed.

"Where is Jaken, Rin?" Sesshomaru asked. Kagome noted that he wasn't as cold towards the young girl as he was to everyone else. A few seconds later, Jaken came scurrying up behind Kagome.

"Jaken, I specifically recall ordering you to keep and eye on Rin." Sesshomaru said after the toad had stopped running. "Your imcompetance is wearing thin on my patience."

"Please forgive me, Sesshomaru-sama!" Jaken said quickly. Sesshomaru gave no sign of having heard him. He turned around and Jaken hurried to follow.

"Sesshomaru-sama! Can Kagome-chan come , too?" Rin asked hopefully. Kagome, who had taken to leaning against a tree, looked up at Rin. She had thought that they had forgotten that she was even there. Sesshomaru turned to look at the little girl also. Rin seemed to be silently pleading with him. Sesshomaru nodded ever so slightly and Rin grinned. She ran over to Kagome and pulled Kagome along with her. Kagome was going to say something, but the fact that she was coming along seemed to make Rin so happy and she just couldn't hurt the girl's feelings. So, Kagome just let Rin pull her along the path. After a while, Kagome and Rin started up a game of "I Spy". Rin would usually pick the same thing over and over.

Kagome got tired of Rin's constant chattering and gave her a yo-yo to play with, which kept her abnormally quiet.

"There!"

Kagome jumped and turned around to see Sango, Miroku, and Kirara coming towards them.

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Ah! Oh no! whats gonna happen next? You can fink out for yourself later. Dasvidanya!

Review or you aint gettin' nothin' else.


	2. Silence Is Golden, Yeah, Right

disclaimer- Unfortunately, I don't own any of the characters that I use. Well, at least for now, until I throw in my own little people.

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_Fallen angels at my feet,_

_Whispered voices at my ear,_

_Death before my eyes,_

_Lying next to me, I fear._

_She beckons me, shall I give in?_

_Upon my end, shall I begin?_

_Forsaking all I'v fallen for,_

_I rise to meet the end._

_(EvaneScence: Whispers)_

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Don't Fall Away

Chapter Two: Silence Is Golden...Yeah...Right

Kagome gaped at Sango and the others (excluding InuYasha, remember, he didn't come) as they approached. Sango slid off of Kirara and ran to Kagome, catching her in a tight hug. Kagome tensed and pulled away from her with an uneasy expression.

"Kagome?" Sango said uncertainly. "What's wrong, Kagome? Are you okay? What happened?"

"It...it's nothing." Kagome said quietly. She sidestepped away from Sango and moved closer to Rin, who had lost interest in the yo-yo see chapter one. "I... I was just...just...I gotta go." Kagome bolted into the forest.

"Kagome, wait!" Sango cried. She made to run after Kagome, but Miroku stopped her from doing so. Sango turned to look at him.

"What are you doing! We have to go find Kagome before she gets hurt!" Sango yelled.

"When she is ready, she will come back." Miroku stated, turning back towards the camp. Sango followed numbly.

"Come on, Sesshomaru-sama! We have to go find Kagome-chan!" Rin said, running into the forest after Kagome.

Jaken scuttled after the girl with Sesshomaru following calmly. 'What has made the miko so upset as to run away from her friends?' he wondered. Sesshomaru had always known that there was something strange about the girl, but he really didn't care to find out until a few moments ago when she had fled from her friends. He could clearly smell the scent of fear when she had run off. Sesshomaru pushed these thoughts aside when he heard Rin's squeal of surprise.

Rin had come across Kagome resting against a tree in a small clearing. Kagome, having not expected anyone to follow her, pulled her bow and aimed it at Rin. After seeing Rin, Kagome panicked and dropped her bow and arrows, looking as if they had burned her, and then she passed out. Rin ran up to Kagome and started trying to shake her awake.

"Sesshomaru-sama! Kagome-chan won't wake up!" Rin complained.

"She would if you would back up and give her some space, you stupid girl!" Jaken shouted. Rin crossed her arms and stuck her toungue out at him. Jaken waddled over to Kagome and nudged her shoulder with his foot. Kagome chose this point in time to wake up and, out of reflex, slapped Jaken across the face. Rin laughed and clapped her hands.

"Oh, sor-" Kagome started, before seeing who it was. "Oh, it's you. Never mind, then. What happened?"

"Kagome-chan passed out, but Jaken woke you up!" Rin explained hapilly. "Why did you hit Jaken?"

"Oh, um...it was just a reflex, I guess." Kagome said, remembering all the times that she had woken up to Miroku's wandering hands. Miroku, Sango, Shippo, Kirara...she missed them all, even InuYasha. But she knew that she couldn't go back yet, she had to wait just a little while longer.

"Is something the matter, Kagome-chan?" Rin asked. Kagome looked up at her and faked a smile.

"No, Rin. I'm fine. I was just...thinking." Kagome answered absently. Rin nodded and went to go check on Jaken.

"If you're finished wasting my time, miko, then hurry up and get off the ground so we can get moving." Sesshomaru ordered. Kagome's temper flared.

"Hey, I never asked you to let me travel with you! That was your own decision." Kagome snapped. "Oh, and by the way, I have a name. It's Kagome. Not miko, not woman, not wench, bitch, or any other name your _brilliant_ mind can come up with!"

Sesshomaru fought the urge to kill her on the spot. He settled on doing something about it later when Rin wasn't around to witness it. Kagome was a little suprised that Sesshomaru didn't do anything, but, then again, she didn't have a death wish, either.

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"So...where are we going?" Kagome asked, trying to strike up a polite conversation.

"We're going to my castle." Sesshomaru stated. "Why do you ask?"

"I just like to know where I'm going. Is that so wrong?"

"That depends on what waits at the destination. Sometimes it is better to remain obliviouse to what awaits, seeing as that it may not be very pleasent." Sesshomaru said. Kagome nodded.

"I see. Now I kinda see your point." Kagome muttered. "Did you figure that out the hard way?" Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow.

"Oh...ok, I'll shut up now." Kagome said. That was the way that everything continued. Every now and then Kagome would try to strike up a conversation with Sesshomaru, and every time she failed miserably. Eventually she gave up and started chatting with Rin, instead.

"Hey, Rin. How long does this usually take?" Kagome asked. Rin thought for a minute.

"Rin doesn't know. But it usually takes a long time." Rin answered enthusiastically. Kagome stopped dead in her tracks.

"Well, I think it's about to take a little longer." Kagome said uneasily.


	3. Another New Companion?

disclaimer- you all get the picture. i say i don't own sesshy, i cry, and then i write. however, the newly introduced characters that show up during the course of this story _are_ mine. so back off!

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_Why,_

_Does any of it matter?_

_(I cant take it anymore.)_

_You've got to try,_

_The inhale that makes,_

_The exhale,_

_So much better._

_(Stonesour: Inhale)_

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Don't Fall Away

Chapter Three: Another New Companion?

"What do you mean, Kagome-chan?" Rin asked. She looked around to emphisize her point.

Kagome channeled her miko energy into her hands, not seeing the need to use her bow and arrows. Her hands glowed bright pink and her eyes changed from deep chocaloate brown to pale pink.

"You can't hide. I know you're there. Show yourself and maybe I won't purify your ass!" Kagome challenged. She heard a growl from inside the bushes and shot a beam of miko energy at it. Before the beam hit, however, a young female inu yokai jumped out and landed a few feet in front of Kagome.

"What business do you have here, miko?" the demoness demanded.

"We are only passing through. Is thare a problem with that?" Kagome retorted. She pushed more of her energy into her hands and prepared herself to defend her life if need be. But, Sesshomaru was getting impatient and cut in himself.

"You have no reason to question my motives." he said coldly.

"I'm not questioning _your_ motives." the demoness stated calmly. "I'm questioning hers."

"Great. Do I really look that suspitious?" Kagome asked. The demoness rolled her eyes.

"Yes, you do. If you haven't noticed, your hands are glowing. Very brightly, for that matter." she said, shielding her eyes.

"Oh, sorry." Kagome said. "Better?" The demoness nodded. "So, what's your name?"

"Yukana."

"Why were you trying to attack us, Yukana?" Kagome asked, curiosity getting the best of her.

"I simply thought you were someone else." Yukana explained with a shrug. "My village takes pride in being one of the only villages that hasn't been in some way affected by that hanyou, Naraku. And we intend to keep it that way."

"You mean that Naraku has left entire villages alone?" Kagome said in disbelief. "How do you manage to keep a power crazy freakazoid away from a village. That has to be extreamly hard."

"It's not hard to keep someone away from your village when they don't even know about it." Yukana said shrewdly. "People who just run into it usually just stay there because of the fact that the villagers go on with life as if Naraku never existed. It's paradise, it really is. There's no real problems, and it's just so quiet and...there's really no way to describe it. I love it there, but the threat of an invasion isn't absent. That's why we have scouts watching all of the land within a ten kilometer radius. If something seems off the scouts hurry back to the village and warn the villagers who flee the other way. It does get pretty boring just sitting there all day when there is a slim chance that anything will happen, though."

"Are you a scout, too?" Rin asked. Yukana looked over at Rin in suprise.

"Where did she come from?" Yukana asked.

"Rin has been here the whole time!" Rin answered hapilly. "Are you a scout?"

"No, Rin, I'm not." Yukana said. "My mom doesn't even know I'm here." She patted Rin on the head and turned back to Kagome. "So, what are you doing out here? He patrolled this area this morning."

"I told you, we're only passing by." Kagome insisted. "We're on our way to go kill something."

"What!"

"I was kidding." Kagome giggled. "I'm just taking a short vacation before I go back to my friends. I need some rest before we actually go to defeat Naraku for good."

"You guys are trying to defeat Naraku?" Yukana asked with interest. "It sounds like fun. You should come back and tell us when you succeed."

"I have a better idea. We could come and get you before we set off." Kagome said brightly. "That is, unless Sesshomaru has a problem with you coming now."

"I like that idea!" Rin piped in. "Can Yukana come with us, too? Pretty please? It would make Rin happy!"

"Fine." Sesshomaru said. "She must stay out of the way."

"Sesshomaru!" Yukana said, almost angrily. "What do you have against me? I've never done anything to you! Although, considering our history, you'd deserve it."

"Were you two..._mated_?" Kagome asked in disbelief. Yukana's jaw droped and Sesshomaru smirked.

"That's gross, Kagome!" Yukana yelled. "Sesshomaru's my _cousin_!" Kagome slapped her hand over her mouth and tried as hard as she could not to burst out laughing.

"I'm sorry giggle I didn't giggle know." Kagome choked. She took a few moments to compose herself before she said anything else. "So, you guys are cousins? Well, that's a far cry from what I thought was goin' on. Is Sesshomaru older than you, or is it the other way around?"

"Sesshomaru's older than I am. But only by a few years." Yukana said. "We grew up together. When his mother died, I started seeing him less and less. After InuYasha was born I only saw him once, and even then it had been a few years after that last time I had seen him. He never really liked InuYasha and Izayoi, but he was always civil towards them. Then Izayoi died and InuYasha just left. He took his and his mother's stuff and just walked out the door."

"And Sesshomaru didn't try to stop him?" Kagome asked.

"Oh, he tried, but InuYasha is more stubborn than ten of Sesshomaru." Yukana explained.

"Tell me about it." Kagome muttered. "So Sesshomaru hates InuYasha for not listening to him and InuYasha hates Sesshomaru for trying to stop him from leaving? Sounds like a very stupid reason to hate your brother."

"Half-brother." Sesshomaru cut in. "We need to get moving. It's about to storm."

"You act like the water's gonna make you melt." Yukana sighed.

"Yeah, we really should get going. Rin could catch a cold." Kagome pointed out. She looked up and felt a raindrop hit her nose. Then another drop fell and it started pouring. Kagome took off her jacket and gave it to Rin. Kagome was already soaked and the jacket wasn't doing much for Rin, either. Rin sneezed and Kagome picked her up and put her on her back.

After about an hour Kagome and Rin both started sneezing and coughing. Yukana had asked them both multiple times if they wanted to stop and find shelter, but they had refused each time.

"Listen, I really think that you two should let us stop." Yukana said impatiently. "You are going to get really sick. Hey, Sesshomaru! We should find a place to stop!"

"I've already found one." Sesshomaru stated.

"Great!" Yukana exclaimed. "Now we can get these two out of the rain!"

"It doesn't matter!" Kagome said, irritated. "We can keep going! We don't need to stop for a cold!"

"Hey! What happened to ' we should get going. Rin could catch a cold.'?" Yukana snapped. "If we stop now we won't have to take so long to recover later." Kagome crossed her arms and pouted.

The cave was warm, but not so much dry. It had small leaks on the "ceiling" and in the walls.

"This should do." Yukana said, inspecting the cave. "We just have to hope nothing else lives here."

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well, there ya go! didn't expect that, did ya? well, anyways, its 2 in the morning and i'm ready for bed. i want reviews! uhhh...please. till next time. Dasvidanya!


	4. Night Falls

meesa so sorry! i got frounded for...well it doesnt matter, i dont remember anyway. but i really didnt mean to!

this chapter is dedicated to sesshyfanchick 'cause she helped me through a sticky spot with it, so thats why. and if anyone gives a suggestion and i use it they get a chapter dedicated to 'em! idn't dat fun? ond i do try really hard to use them.

disclaimer: how many times do i have to say it for you people? I DON'T OWN ANY OF THE INUYASHA CHARACTERS! there, happy? wait a minute! just to set the record strait: YUKANA IS MINE! at least i can take solace in that...

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_Show me what its like,_

_(to be the last one standing)_

_And teach me wrong from right._

_(and I'll show you what I can be)_

_And say it for me,_

_Say it to me._

_(and I'll leave this life behind me)_

_Say it if its worth savin' me._

_(Nickleback: Savin' Me)_

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Don't Fall Away

Chapter Four: Night Falls

"Yukana, you're going to scare Rin." Kagome said, squeezing the water out of her hair and clothing.

"Rin won't get scared." Rin declared proudly. "Rin is brave. And Sesshomaru-sama will protect Rin if anything happens."

"And so will I, Rin." Kagome promised. "But don't worry; there's nothing in here. Well, except maybe a bug or two. Yukana was just joking."

"Perhaps I was, but it wouldn't hurt you to play along for a little while." Yukana pouted.

"Oh, please. If I didn't ruin your silly little game, Sesshomaru deffinately would have." Kagome pointed out. "Besides, he wouldn't have taken Rin in here if he knew that there was already something living in this place."

"Stop talking about my lord as if he isn't here!" Jaken yelled.

"But he isn't here." Rin pointed out. Kagome looked up from her bag and looked around the cave.

"He is really good at that." Kagome said, taking her pajamas out of her bag. "Maybe he's a little too good. Even InuYasha can't do that."

"Rin is cold." Rin whined. Kagome started digging in her bag and threw a t-shirt at her.

"You can use that." Kagome said. "Don't worry, its dry. My bag is waterproof."

"What's waterspoof?" Rin asked innocently. Kagome giggled and shook her head.

"That's _waterproof_, Rin." Kagome corrected. "Waterproof is when water or any other liquid can't get in or out of something. I guess you could kinda say its 'ahead of this time.' "pun intended Rin nodded and went further back into the cave to change.

"Eep! Kagome-chan, how does this thing work!" Rin exclaimed. Yukana snorted. Kagome glared at her playfully and went to go help Rin figure out the t-shirt. Kagome and Rin could be heard struggling with the shirt and every few seconds Kagome would say things like 'Rin, stay still!' or 'Rin, that's the wrong hole!'.

"I've never put on one of those things, but it sounds a little dangerous to me." Yukana called out. "I think that maybe she would be better off wrapped in a blanket or something."

"No, this is fine." Kagome said. "We finally got it."

"That sounded difficult." Yukana stated. "Aren't you going to change, too, Kagome?"

"Yeah, but I had to come back and get my stuff."

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Sesshomaru showed up again around an hour later. By then everyone except Kagome had fallen asleep. It was still pouring outside of the cave, so Kagome could find no real reason for him to be out there. As he walked in, Kagome looked up from her sketch pad. Sesshomaru slowly scanned the room, making sure that everyone was asleep. He stopped when he came to Kagome.

"Miko, why aren't you asleep yet?"

"Do you want the truth or a lie?" Kagome asked with a hint of sarcasm.

"I wouldn't expect an honest answer from a human." Sesshomaru stated calmly. Kagome frowned.

"No, I suppose you wouldn't." Kagome sighed. "Rin seemed like such an honest girl to me, but, since she is human, I must have made a mistake."

Sesshomaru had had enough. He grabbed Kagome by the collar of her pajamas and pinned her to the wall of the cave.

"Listen closely, miko. You should be thankful that I let you accompany me back to my home and that I didn't decide to kill you on sight." Sesshomaru snapped.

"Like I said before, Sesshomaru, I never asked you to let me come along." Kagome spat. "Rin suggested it and you gave in. That was your fault."

Yukana awoke at that point and looked across the cave. Her jaw dropped when she saw that Sesshomaru had Kagome by her collar and against the wall.

"Sesshomaru!" she exclaimed. "Put her down!" Yukana ran over and threw all of her weight onto Sesshomaru's arm. Rin and Jaken woke up as well and just stared at what was happening in front of them.

"Yukana," Kagome muttered. Yukana looked up at her.

"Back up."

Kagome closed her eyes and released a wave of pure energy that threw Sesshomaru across the cave. Yukana gasped. Jaken picked up his staff and ran at Kagome. She turned and glared at the small impish creature.

"If you take one more step you can forget about seeing the light of day ever again." Kagome threatened. She turned on her heel, picked up her bag, and stormed out of the small cave.

Yukana looked around at everyone. Rin looked terrified and Jaken had rushed to stand next to Sesshomaru, who appeared to be unconscious. Rin stood up and went to stand with Jaken.

Yukana sighed and rushed after Kagome.

"What happened back there, Kagome?" Yukana cried. "What did you do?"

"I never put up with that shit from InuYasha and I sure as hell won't put up with it from him." Kagome explained angrily. "I'm out of here. Neither of us are dead and I'm sick of his arrogant attitude. I'll see you around, Yukana."

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Sango, Miroku, Kirara, and Shippo walked into Kaede's hut at around sundown.

"Did ye find her?" Kaede asked. Sango sighed and sat next to the fire.

"Yes, we did, but she didn't want to come back." Sango said sadly. "She ran away when we got there. I told you there was something wrong, Miroku!"

"Sango, calm down. Kagome will come back when she is ready." Miroku said reassuringly. "She must have had a good reason to leave."

"What do you mean 'Kagome left'?" InuYasha asked angrily as he walked into the hut.

"Calm down InuYasha." Miroku sighed. "Kagome is fine. When we saw her earlier she was not alone. She will be perfectly fine."

"Who was she with?" InuYasha asked. Sango and Miroku glanced at each other, but didn't answer.

"Who was it?" he asked again. Sango nodded.

"The last time we saw her she was with Sesshomaru." Miroku said, preparing for an explosion.

"SHE WAS WHERE!"

"Remember, InuYasha, anger won't solve anything." Miroku advised.

"Put a sock in it, monk. Come on, we're going after Kagome." InuYasha ordered.

"What happened to 'if she wanted to come back she would have done it by now', InuYasha?"

InuYasha glared at Miroku and walked back out of the hut, followed by Sango, Miroku, Shippo, and Kirara. Sango and Miroku exhanged a few uncertain glances while Shippo sat on Sango's shoulder.

_'Kagome, what are you doing with Sesshomaru?'_ InuYasha thought._ 'If he hurt her, I'll kill that bastard.'_

"InuYasha seems to be taking the news better than I thought he would." Sango whispered to Miroku. "I would have thought that he would've took taken off and not even bothered to wait for us."

"I agree." Miroku said. "He seems quite calm considering the situation. Maybe Kagome's absence is getting to him."

"I miss Kagome!" Shippo whined.

"Don't worry, Shippo." Miroku said reassuringly. "We're going to find her."

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"Kagome, please don't leave!" Yukana pleaded. "Sesshomaru didn't mean to do it! He has a short temper!"

"Yukana, listen. I know Sesshomaru has a short fuse, but I've put up with this kind of stuff from InuYasha for way too long, and I don't plan on doing it with him, too." Kagome explained. "Although, InuYasha never tried to choke me."

"Sesshomaru wasn't trying to choke you." Yukana said. "If he were trying to do that he would have done it. Trust me, I know this stuff. He has a lot of self-control even when he is angry. So, come back in and we can settle this when Sesshomaru wakes up."

Kagome frowned and thought for a minute. _'I don't know...I don't think I really have a choice. If I go back to InuYasha and the others they'll be in danger. But if I stay here, so will Yukana and Rin. I'll stay for now and leave before things get out of hand._'

"Okay, fine." Kagome agreed. "But only for a few days."

"Why?"

"I'll tell you, but you have to keep it a secret, ok?" Yukana nodded. "I have a feeling something bad is going to happen, but I don't know what yet. If things start getting out of hand I'm leaving. I don't want to put you and Rin in danger."

Yukana nodded, but she seemed skeptical. Kagome was just glad that she didn't press for any details. Of corse Kagome know what was going to happen, but she just really didn't feel like explaining anything.

She followed Yukana back into the cave and sat at the opposite end.

"What is she doing back?" Jaken exclaimed.

"Shut it, toad." Kagome snapped. Jaken glared at her, but he shut up all the same.

"When is Sesshomaru-sama going to wake up?" Rin asked.

"Don't worry, Rin. He'll wake up...eventually." Kagome said. _'I know he's not dead, but he should have ben consciouse by now.' _Kagome thought. _'But, then again, I hit him harder than I wanted to.' _ Kagome looked around the cave. Rin and jaken were beginning to doze off again while Yukana was keeping a close eye on Kagome, much to Kagome's dismay. She sighed and looked outside. Dawn was still a few hours away, but she was not really tired. There was no way that Kagome would be able to get to sleep after what had happend to Sesshomaru, seeing as that it had been something that she had done.

_'Yeah, well, he deserved it.'_

_'I knocked him out. That doesn't seem like a fair trade.'_

_'It's revenge for all the other times he tried to kill you.'_

_'He only tried to kill me once. All of the other times he was trying to kill InuYasha.'_

_'That's twice if you count just a few minutes ago.'_

_'That time he wasn't trying to kill me. Something just tells me that it was an accident, but I don't know why.'_

_'Oh, sure, stick up for him just 'cause he's good looking.'_

_'Who said anything about that? Are you nuts? He's like my enemy!'_

_'Actually, he's more like InuYasha's enemy. The only reason that you've ever been in danger was bacause you got in the way.'_

_'That may be true, but it still happened.'_

_'Shut up! Did he ever come after you with the intent to hurt 'ya at a time when you weren't getting in the way? Every time that he almost got you he stopped.'_

_'Just go away, would 'ya? I'm getting a headache.'_

_'Fine.'_

Kagome glanced at Yukana, who had also begun to doze off. It was quiet in the cave, which was making Kagome uneasy. She then shifted her focus to Sesshomaru. He looked so peaceful to her. It was almost impossible for her to imagine just how dangerous he could really be. Kagome averted her gaze when he began to stir.

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Sesshomaru slowly opened his eyes around an hour after the incident with the miko that was sitting directly across from him. She appeared to be staring outside, but he knew that she was watching him out of the corner of her eye.

"So, you're awake now." Kagome observed, still staring outside.

"Hn."

"Umm...do you feel okay? Like, no broken bones, bruised ego?"

"No."

"Oh. Okay. No hard feelings then?" Kagome turned her head and looked at him. He didn't answer. "Rin was worried about you." Sesshomaru nodded. Kagome frowned and turned her gaze back outside.

_'This is going to be hard.'_


	5. A Familiar Place

howdy! heres the next chapter for 'ya!

disclaimer: yeah, i forgot to add this in the last chapter, but you all know i dont own it, so theres not really a problem.

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_At times life is wicked and I just can't see the light  
A silver lining sometimes isn't enough  
To make some wrongs seem right  
Whatever life brings  
I've been through everything  
And now I'm on my knees again  
(Creed: Don't Stop Dancing)_

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Don't Fall Away

Chapter Five: A Familiar Place

Sesshomaru, Kagome, Yukana, Rin, and Jaken set for Sesshomaru's castle out shortly after daybreak the next day. Kagome stayed towards the back of the strange group so she could think without being questioned by Yukana and Rin.

_'What am I going to do when it comes time for me to leave? It wouldn't be possible for me to return to InuYasha and the others, especially if it meant putting them in harms way. I have to figure something out. I can't go home, either, no matter how much I want to.'_

_Flashback_

_Kagome, Yuka, Eri, and Ayumi had gone to the carnival, which was only in town for another few days. As they were walking by a fortune telling stand, the psychic in charge of the stand ran up to Kagome and grabbed her by the wrist._

_"Good heavens, child!" the psychic exclaimed. "You're a miko! Oh, but things are not looking up for you, dear." Kagome was suprised that the old woman knew about the fact that she was a miko, but she didn't let it show._

_"What are you talking about? I'm not a miko. You must be mistaken." Kagome said hurriedly. "The last miko in my family was Kikyo."_

_"Oh, I doubt that, child." the old woman said. "But let me get to your fortune. You are going to face a difficult change. It could turn out for the best or for the worst. If you don't be careful, the ones that you love most may fall into harm's way."_

_"Uhhh...okay..." Kagome stuttered. "Thank you for your time, I guess. Come on guys, we gotta leave."_

_"No, child! Wait!" the psychic yelled after her. "Beware of the demon within! Don't let your feelings get the better of you.!"_

_Kagome quickly took Yuka by the arm while she latched on to Ayumi who grabbed Eri by the back of her shirt._

_"What was that strange woman talking about, Kagome?" Yuka asked. "Kagome?"_

_"Kagome!"_

_"Kagome!"_

_"KAGOME!"_

_End Flashback_

"Kagome!"

Kagome was jolted out of her thoughts by Yukana, who had fallen back to tell her that they were about to stop for Rin to have a snack.

"Huh? Oh, hey. What do you need?" Kagome asked. Yukana gave Kagome a small frown.

"We're stopping for a while." Yukana announced. "Rin needed something to eat."

"Oh, okay." Yukana frowned again.

"Are you okay, Kagome? You haven't been acting normal since last night." Yukana pointed out. "Is something bothering you? You can tell me. I'll keep it a secret, I promise."

_'She reminds me of Sango.'_ Kagome thought. Kagome shook her head and smiled.

"Yukana, I'm going to go take a bath. Do you want to come with me?" Kagome offered, looking at Yukana hopefully.

"You mean go and find a hot spring and bathe...together..." Yukana said uncertainly. It made Kagome wonder what she was thinking. Then she caught on.

"No, Yukana! That's not what I mean!" Kagome said defensively. "Its a friend thing. Me and Sango do it all the time. Its a way to talk without being overheard by the rest of the group, okay? Although, it never really worked with Miroku. So, are ya comin'?" Yukana nodded happily and followed Kagome to the hot spring.

"Hey, Kagome."

"Hm?"

"Who's Sango?" Yukana asked, tilting her head a little. She looked to Kagome and saw her smile fade slightly. "Is there something wrong?" Kagome shook her head.

"Sango is one of my friends. It seems like forever since I last saw her." Kagome sighed. "Sango is a taijiya(sp?) who travels with InuYasha, Miroku, Shippo, and myself. She is more like a sister to me than a friend. I tell her everything."

"Oh, okay. Then who are Miroku and Shippo."

"Miroku is a monk that travels with us. He has a wind tunnel in his right palm and it swallows up anything in the way, including me, Sango, Shippo, and InuYasha." Kagome explained. "Personally, I would rather be at least three feet away from him at all times. But, that doesn't work, so I usually put up a barrier."

"Why?"

"Miroku is...how to say this politely...well, he's a hentai." Kagome said flatly. Yukana nodded and smile to herself.

"And Shippo?" she asked.

"Shippo is my adopted son. He is a kitsune, but his parents were killed by the Thunder Brothers. Me and InuYasha helped him get revenge and he just stayed with us after that. He eventually began to think of me as his mother, so I just adopted the adorable little guy."

"Well, you have a strange group." Yukana joked. Kagome smiled and nodded. They had reached the spring and Kagome undressed and slowly lowered herself into the comfortably warm water. Yukana, however, hesitated. Kagome got the message and turned around. This seemed to satisfy Yukana, because she also undressed and entered the spring.

Kagome dunked her head into the water and scrubbed at her scalp, since she ran out of shampoo the day before she left the village. However, she still had plenty of conditioner left, so she massaged some into her hair when she was satisfied that she had gotten the majority of the dirt out.

"Yukana, what was Sesshomaru like when he was a child?" Kagome asked.

"Why?"

"I feel that I should know at least a little bit about the guy I'm supposed to be spending the next few days with." Kagome declared. "He knows a lot about me."

"Okay...I guess that makes sense." Yukana muttered. "When Sesshomaru was a child he was a little like the little girl. He was never as hyper as she is, but he was very happy. I myself find it hard to believe that this is what he grew up to be like. His mother was like that, but I didn't think that it would rub off on Sesshomaru. He started getting more distant when his father left his mother for Izayoi. As you know, his mother died shortly after this occured. You know the rest."

"Yeah..." Kagome sighed. "I can't imagine him any other way..."

"You can't?" Yukana asked, sounding a little disappointed. Kagome studdied the look in Yukana's eyes. It seemed a bit unnatural for a demoness her age; like a look a mother would give her child when they were hurt.

"You looked after him, didn't you?" Yukana smiled softly and nodded. After a few minutes of an uncomfortable silence, Kagome decided it was time to get out.

"You can get out first." Kagome offered. "I'll turn around.

------------------------------------------------------------

"What is taking Kagome-chan so long?" Rin whined. Rin had waited patiently for almost an hour. After a little while, though, she began to get restless. To her relief, Kagome and Yukana walked out of teh forest a few moments later.

"What took so long, Kagome-chan?" Rin exclaimed, running up to Kagome. "Rin was waiting for you. Sesshomaru-sama said that we would leave again when you two got back, right Sesshomaru-sama?" Sessshomaru nodded and continued on the path that they had been taking before they had stopped for Rin's snack.

The castle came into view about an hour later. Kagome breathed a sigh of relief when she saw it. Her legs were aching and her feet felt raw from walking around in her wet shoes and socks. As they approached the gates, the guards gaped at Yukana.

"Lady Yukana! Where have you been? Its been a while."

Yukana smiled and wagged her finger at him playfully.

A female servant walked out of the castle and Sesshomaru called her over. He told her something and she nodded, bowing as he went into his home, with Rin and Jaken in tow. The servant walked over to Kagome and Yukana and bowed again.

"Hello. I am Kaori." she said. "Sesshomaru-sama has ordered me to show you to your rooms. This way, Lady Kagome...Lady Yukana." Yukana rolled her eyes.

"Stop it, Kaori! You don't need to be so formal with us...well, at least not me." Yukana said, giggling a little. "I've known you for almost my entire life." Yukana walked over and hugged Kaori. "It's been a long time." Yukana and Kaori split apart and Kaori turned and bowed to Kagome.

"Please don't do that, Kaori. I'm not royalty." Kagome said uncomfortably. "And you can just call me Kagome." Kaori grinned and nodded.

"C'mon. Let me take you to your rooms." Kaori said. Kagome, if you like I could give you a tour of the castle. Do you want me to?"

"Hmm...no, you don't have to. You've probably got loads of stuff to do." Kagome said with a smile.

"But won't you get lost?"

"What makes you think that? My sense of direction isn't_ that_ bad. Besides, where I'm from, I've been in here countless times." Kagome stated. Yukana and Kaori looked skeptical.

"Alright then. You give us a tour." Yukana suggested.

"Why? Don't you two already know your way around?" Kagome asked. "Why would you need a tour?"

"I forgot where everything was!" Yukana said quickly. Kagome sighed and motioned for them to follow.

After about an hour Kagome, Yukana, and Kaori were back in the entrance hall. Kaori was impressed. Kagome had given a very accurate tour of the castle, so there was no doubt that she had somehow been there before. However, she had no idea how. Kaori had never seen Kagome before, and she had been working there since Sesshomaru's father died.

"Well, since you know where everything is I'll just tell you the location of your room to see if you find it." Kaori said. "Rin's room is directly across from Sesshomaru's. When you are facing Rin's door, your room is to the right. Yukana, yours is on the left." Yukana shrugged and followed Kagome to their assigned quarters.

When Kagome walked into her room the first thng she did was take off her shoes and socks. After this was done she then took a look around the room. _'It's so much better now than it is in the future.'_ Kagome thought. _'I'm actually allowed to sit on the bed.'_

Kagome walked ever to the wardrobe and slowly opened it. It was filled with at least twenty of the most beautiful kimonos Kagome had ever seen. Just then, Kaori walked in.

"Do ya need anything, Kagome?"

"Yeah. Are these all mine?" Kagome asked innocently. Kaori laughed.

"Yes giggle they're yours. Is there a problem?" Kagome shook her head and smiled sheepishly. Kaori giggled again and walked towards the door.

"Oh, yeah. Sesshomaru-sama told me to tell you to change and meet him in his study in about a half hour." Kaori stated. "Don't be late. Sesshomaru-sama has very little patience for lateness." Kagome nodded and turned back to the kimonos in the wardrobe. She chose one made of black silk with vines containing pink flowers embroidered into the seams. It had a matching obi that had that same embroidered design going through the center. Kagome decided that this one was her favorite.

She walked to the end of the hall and knocked on the door to Sesshomaru's study.

"Enter." Kagome opened the door and peered inside. Sesshomaru looked up from the paperwork on his desk and motioned for her to come in. Kagome entered the room and shut the door behind her. She took a seat in the chair in front of the desk.

"Miko, I have made a decision." Sesshomaru announced. "I have been thinking about it since we met up with Yukana on our way here. The other priestesses in my castle are very inexpierienced and I have decided that you should be the one to train them. The incident in the cave only served to make me positive that this would work. When you are not training the others you will be training to fight with the weapon of your choice. It may also be necessary for you to watch Rin on occasion. The first day of every week will be your day for resting. Is this in any way unclear?" Kagome shook her head and was dismissed.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

"InuYasha, would you please slow down?" Sango asked breathlessly.

"I agree with Sango, Inuyasha. We are not a hanyou like yourself, so we do need rest every now and then." Miroku said.

"Fine. You guys can stay here and I'll go find Kagome."

"No, InuYasha. You should rest, also." Miroku suggested. "It won't do you any good to be tired when we arrive for Kagome."

"What's that supposed to mean?" InuYasha said defensively.

Miroku sighed. He knew that a fight was inevitable. He knew that InuYasha would act irrationally and that he would be the one to start the fight. Sesshomaru was a lot stronger than InuYasha already, but without the energy he used to chase after Kagome he would surely be killed. InuYasha admitted defeat and jumped into a tree.

_'Kagome, you had better be okay.'_

Sango, Miroku, Shippo, and Kirara sat down gratefully. As Sango began to drift to sleep Miroku's hand started to drift towards her butt.

"Don't even think about it, hentai." Sango whispered threateningly. Miroku paid no attention to her warning and groped her rear, anyway. Sango swung her arm back and elbowed him in the face, knocking him out. Shippo shook his head and Kirara meowed.

"Stupid monk." InuYasha muttered.

They continued on their quest around an hour later.

--------------------------------------------------------------

"Kagome-chan!"

Kagome turned around to see Rin running towards her. Kagome smiled at her as the young girl collided with her midsection, giving her a big hug.

"Hello, Rin!" Kagome laughed. "Its good to see you, too."

"Rin wants to go into the garden." Rin announced. "Will you come, too?"

"Um...okay, I guess." Kagome agreed. "Let's go." Rin let out a cry of victory and dragged Kagome out into the garden that completely surrounded the castle.

Rin pulled Kagome along, pointing out a strange looking flower every now and then. It was around dinnertime that Rin finally let go of Kagome's arm and ran a few yards away to pick her some flowers. Suddenly, Kagome started to hear a disturbance at the front gate, so she took Rin and went to investigate. She was overjoyed when she saw who was trying to overpower the guards. But, the scene with the psychic came back to her mind. Maybe this wasn't a good thing.

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i decided to let out a tiny explanation a bit early 'cause everyone seemed to want one. that and the other chapters took so long to write.


	6. Kagome's Anger

disclaimer- meesa dont own the InuYasha characters. but guess what? i own the story and the plot! yipee! and guess what else? i own Yukana and Kaori 2. so ha! take that you pesky living room monsters! booyah!

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_You left without saying 'goodbye'_

_Although, I'm sure you tried_

_You called the house from time to time_

_To make sure we're alive_

_But, you weren't there_

_Right when I needed you the most_

_And now I dream about it_

_And how its so bad_

_Its so bad_

_(Nickelback: Too Bad)_

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Don't Fall Away

Chapter Six: Kagome's Anger

Kagome silently watched as InuYasha argued with the guards, who wouldn't even budge.

"We're sorry, sir, we can't let you through." InuYasha looked past the guard and directly at Kagome.

"Hey, Kagome!" he called. "Tell this moron to let me through!" Kagome turned to Rin.

"Rin, I need you to go get Sesshomaru-sama, okay?" Kagome requested. Rin nodded happily and darted into the castle. Kagome jogged to the front gate and Sango ran up and caught her in a tight hug. Kagome returned it this time, though a little half-heartedly.

"Mamma!" Shippo yelled, jumping into Kagome's arms.

"Kagome, tell them to let me through." InuYasha ordered.

"I'm sorry, InuYasha, I can't. This is not my castle, so I have no say as to who comes in." Kagome explained. "You'll have to wait for Sesshomaru to come out." Her mind wandered back to the psychic, but she decided to try to believe that she was a fraud. Kagome relaxed and was once again acting like herself.

"I don't care. I need to get in there!" InuYasha yelled.

"InuYasha, osuwari!"

BOOM

"Maybe you should learn to calm down, InuYasha." Kagome suggested.

Sesshomaru walked out of the castle a few minutes later. InuYasha had gotten off the fround by then. Sesshomaru did not seem too happy that he was on his property.

"Tell me why you are here, half breed." Sesshomaru damanded.

"I came to get Kagome, because you kidnapped her!"

"InuYasha, we have told you already, Sesshomaru did _not_ kidnap Kagome." Sango and Miroku said in unision.

"Like hell he didn't." InuYasha spat.

"InuYasha, osuwari." Kagome repeated. InuYasha was slammed into the ground once again. "So, are you going to calm down now, or do I have to do it again?"

"Kagome, you look rather lovely." Miroku commented.

"Don't even think about it." Kagome warned.

"Dear, Kagome...I was merely giving you a compliment." Miroku said innocently. "I'm hurt that you would think so low of me." Kagome frowned and shook her head as InuYasha finally got off the ground.

"Stop doing that!" InuYasha said through clenched teeth.

"Then chill out, InuYasha."

"Feh" Kagome rolled her eyes at InuYasha's answer.

"Mamma, can me and Kirara go play with Rin." Shippo asked hopefully. Kagome glanced at Sesshomaru and he nodded his head ever so slighty. Kagome also nodded and Rin took Shippo and Kirara to play in the garden.

Miroku took the opportunity to sneak behind Kagome while nobody was looking and groped her.

"You hentai!" Kagome screamed. She whirled around and punched him directly in the jaw, knocking him backwards onto the ground.

"Miroku, when this is over you'll have more scars from the women than from the final battle with Naraku." InuYasha said in an undertone. "Listen, I'm taking Kagome and then I'm outa here. C'mon Kagome."

"The miko stays, InuYasha." Sesshomaru said. "We have already worked out a deal, and she has agreed to it."

"What deal?"

"I am supposed to train the other priestesses and watch over Rin." Kagome simply stated. "And in return I'll be trained in any weapon of my choice."

"We don't have time for this. We have to go find the jewel shards!" InuYasha complained loudly. "Come on, Kagome! We have to go."

"Why don't you just go find Kikyo and get her to help you out?" Kagome asked him irritably. "Kikyo ccan see them, too. I already made a deal and I'm not about to dishonor it when there is someone else that can find the shards."

Yukana and Kaori walked out of the castle at this point and walked over to the small group that had gathered at the gate.

"What's going on out here?" Yukana asked.

"Umm...InuYasha came for a visit." Kagome said with a grin. She looked towards Sesshomaru and InuYasha. InuYasha was busy yelling at his brother while Sesshomaru stood there looking bored.

"Hey, InuYasha!" Yukana called. InuYasha turned to Yukana and gave her a small wave, but then went right back to arguing with Sesshomaru.

"I can feel a fight coming on." Kagome predicted. "Let's go watch the kids." Yukana, Sango, and Kaori followed Kagome while Miroku decided to stay with Sesshomaru and InuYasha to try and keep the peace.

Kagome took Yukana and Kaori along with Sango to the area that Rin and Shippo were playing in and started with some introductions.

"Sango, this is Yukana." Kagome said, pointing to Yukana. "And this is Kaori." They each nodded to Sango as they were introduced.

"So, this is Sango." Yukana said with interest. "I've heard a lot about you. Kagome speaks very highly of you. Are you really a taijiya? I heard there weren't many left."

"No, there aren't." Sango admitted sadly. "My brother and myself are the only ones left, or so I was told."

"So, where's your brother?" Kaori asked.

"Kohaku is...as good as dead."

"Umm...Kaori!" Kagome said suddenly, making her jump. "What's it like working for Sesshomaru? Is it fun?" Sango silently thanked Kagome for changing the subject.

"Its actually not that bad." Kaori said. "Well, for me, anyway. I'm head of staff here. I even rank higher than Jaken."

"Then why don't _you_ travel with Sesshomaru?" Sango asked.

"I just don't want to." Kaori declared lightly. "Have you ever seen the state that the imp comes back in? It's a little pathetic. I don't understand why he's even still here. Lord Sesshomaru doesn't like him very much, if you haven't noticed. But I-" Kaori was cut off by the sound of a sword coming out of its sheath.

Kagome whirled around in time to see InuYasha run at Sesshomaru with a fully transformed Tetsusaiga. Sesshomaru, however, easily dodged his sloppy attack and retalliated with a blow from his whip of light. From the looks of it InuYasha had been the one to start the fight in the first place.

"Yukana! You handle Sesshomaru and I'll get InuYasha." Yukana nodded.

"InuYasha, osuwari!" Kagome cried. InuYasha was plunged face-first into the gravel pathway that lead to the castle entrance. When Sesshomaru realized this he halted his assault on the hanyou. Yukana walked over and stood beside him.

"I tried to stop them." Miroku muttered.

"InuYasha, why must you always start a fight?" Kagome sighed. "What do I have to do to get you to be at least a little civil to your brother."

"Half-brother." Sesshomaru corrected.

"Brother, half-brother, what's the difference?" Kagome snapped. "The point is, you share blood and you had the same father. You two are grown men, yet you insist on acting like five-year-olds fighting over a toy car. Give it a rest, for kami sake!"

"Why would I wanna do that? He tried to kill me!" InuYasha said loudly.

"InuYasha..."

"What?"

"Oswari! Osuwari, osuwari, osuwari, osuwari! InuYasha, grow up!" Kagome spun on her heel and stormed into the castle, leaving an unconscious hanyou in a rathe large crater and a few confused companions in her wake.

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"Kagome?" Sango called through the door. Yukana and Kaori had taken to her to Kagome's room to check on her. Nobody had seen her since she left the group at the gate, which was about three hours ago. Sango opened the door to find nobody there.

"Where could she have gone?" Sango asked nervously.

"Who knows? She could be anywhere." Kaori said. "She knows every inch of this place. Which is more than I know, as a matter of fact."

"We should go tell the others." Yukana stated. Sango and Kaori nodded.

"She's not in her room." Yukana announced.

"Where else would the miko be?"

"We didn't tell you?" Kaori asked. "She knew this place top to bottom when she first walked in here. She was the one that gave us a tour." Yukana nodded.

"Let her do what she wants." InuYasha sad irritably. "She'll come back, she always does, anyway." Miroku, who was standing slightly behind InuYasha at the time, bopped him in the back of the head.

"Hey, what was that for?" he asked furiously, rubbing the back of his head. Miroku shrugged.

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_'Those two can be such idiots sometimes.'_ Kagome fumed. _'Can't they stop fighting for more than five seconds in order to work things out? It's amazing they're both still alive.'_

Kagome walked out of the storage room and made her way towards her own bedroom to try to get some rest. She was exhausted, so she gave in to the idea of a nap. Kagome walked into her room and collapsed an the bed, not even bothering to change before she fell asleep.


	7. All Too Soon

disclaimer- i dont own inuyasha. you should know that by now... but i DO own Yukana and Kaori...oh! and the plot too. and the story. anythng else? nope, i think we're done here.

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_Another dream that will never come true _

_Just to compliment your sorrow _

_Another life that I've taken from you _

_A gift to add on to your pain and suffering _

_Another truth you can never believe _

_Has crippled you completely _

_All the cries you're beginning to hear _

_Trapped in your mind, and the sound is deafening _

_(Disturbed: Prayer)_

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Don't Fall Away

Chapter Seven: All Too Soon

Kagome was roused from her nap by the sound of people entering her room. She felt someone gently shake her shoulder. Kagome groaned and pulled the covers over her head, successfully signifying that she didn't want to be disturbed.

"Kagome, you need to wake up now." Sango whispered. "It's time for dinner." Kagome knew who it was, but what they were saying never really registered.

"I'll give it a shot." Kaori offered. "Kagome! Your hair is orange!" Kagome suddenly appeared out from under the blankets and tumled out of the bed. She sat up and glared at the three of them. Kaori and Sango giggled.

"Dinner is ready, Kagome." Yukana stated, casually examining her claws. "You should change before we go down to the dining hall, though. We'll wait outside."

Kagome groaned again, but still got up and walked over to the wardrobe. This time she chose a white silk kimono with lavender flowers placed randomly throughout the fabric and a lavender obi. Kagome combed her hair and splashed her face with some cold water.

Kagome, Sango, Kaori, and Yukana entered the dining hall at the same time, but all eyes seemed to be on Kagome. InuYasha was staring at her with his mouth slightly open and Sesshomaru seemed to be in his own little world. His eyes were glazed and there was a softer look in his eyes.

Kagome took he seat between Yukana and Sango and started biting at her finger nails.

"Kagome, if you were a demon, that habit of yours would get you into trouble." Yukana told her. Kagome looked at her.

"Well, I'm not a demon, so it doesn't matter!" Kagome said brightly. "Besides, if I were a demon I also wouldn't just join random groups as they walked by."

"Hey, Sesshomaru's my cousin. It's different when you're related to them." Yukana said defensively.

"You weren't realated to me, though, were you?"

"Hey, that's cheating!" Yukana complained.

"No, its not cheating." Kagome said. "I like to think of it as-"

"Kagome!" Sango exclaimed.

"What? I'm not doing anything!"

"Just cool it. You're gonna scare her away!" Sango laughed.

Sesshomaru quietly listened to their conversation. It as absolutly ridiculous, but also slightly amusing. Kagome was smart, he would admit that, but she was still human.

Kagome suddenly stopped laughing. She could sense that something was wrong, so she excused herself, using the idea of needing fresh air as her alibi. She stood just outside the gate, listening and waiting for what she know was coming.

_'So soon?'_

Kagome glanced behind her at the castle. It was time for her to leave. This was earlier than she had expected. She said a silent goodbye to her companions and walked out the front gates.

"Where are you going, Lady Kagome?" one of them asked.

"I'm going to the village. I'll be right back." Kagome assured them.

"Isn't the village the other way?" the guard whispered. The other demon shrugged.

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Kaori burst into the dining hall looking both upset and panicked at the same time.

"What is it, Kaori?" Sesshomaru asked quickly.

"Lady Kagome has left the castle grounds!" Kaori exclaimed.

"What!" InuYasha ran over to Kaori. "When? Why didn't anyone stop her?" Sango gave Miroku a worried glance and bolted out of the dining hall.

"I'm going with Sango." Miroku declared. He rushed after Sango, followed by InuYasha, Yukana, and Shippo. Kaori glanced at Sesshomaru.

"I'm going, too." she said, and raced to catch up with the others. Sesshomaru inwardly sighed and also followed. _'I hate to admit it, but the miko is growing on me.'_ he thought as he walked out of the castle.

"Hurry up, Sesshomaru!" InuYasha yelled impatiently. "We have to find Kagome before something else does!"

"I doubt the miko will not be able to handle it." Sesshomaru said calmly.

"She won't be able to handle it! She's weak." InuYasha declared. Sango and Yukana both slapped him in the back of the head.

"InuYasha, right now Kagome is stronger than Kikyo ever was, dead or alive!" Sango screamed. "So, shut your mouth and quit complaining about how 'weak' Kagome is! If you have a problem with searching, then you can stay here!"

"Hey! I-"

"InuYasha, let it be." Miroku advised. "Sango is not emotionally stable at this point in time. It is safer to not argue."

"Come on! Hurry up you two!" Yukana said impatiently.

"Okay, okay, keep your socks on!" InuYasha said.

Sango and Miroku jumped onto a transformed Kirara while Sesshomaru, InuYasha, Yukana, and Kaori ran. Sango had already decided that she would not give up until she found Kagome. She would never give up...

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Kagome sighed and walked into the clearing, following the soul stealers that had appeared around five minutes earlier.

"So, Kikyo, have you come to try and take InuYasha to hell again?" Kagome asked shrewdly.

"Oh, no. Not InuYasha, dear." Kikyo said with a smile. "It is you that I'm after. I want my life back. InuYasha just happens to be an added bonus."

"So, you've resorted to picking on people younger than you to satisfy yourself. That's just what I'd expect from a coward like you." Kagome retorted. Kikyo glared at her and got ready to fire an arrow at her.

"What, so now you're going to shoot me?"

Kikyo's expression turned livid and she shot the arrow directly at Kagome...

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All done! theres that chappy fer ya. cant wait fer the next one can ya?


	8. Emotional Whirlwind

disclaimer: Me: Go! Go! Go! Hey! What are you coppers doing i my living room?

Them: We haver recieved information from a reliable source that you are posting a story based on InuYasha.

Me: Esef! its got a disclaimer! its got a disclaimer! dont take me to jai! im too young to die!

The Lesson: Always use a disclaimer or you'll end up rotting in a jail cell on a deserted island with a whole bunch of InuYasha fanatics.

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_And she swears there's nothing wrong_

_I hear her playing that same old song_

_She puts me off and puts me on_

_Oh, and had a bad day again_

_She said I would not understand_

_She left a note that said, "I'm sorry, I had a bad day again."_

_(Fuel: Bad Day)_

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Don't Fall Away

Chapter Eight: Whirlwind of Emotions from All

Kagome dodged the arrow and threw a ball of energy at Kikyo, hitting her in her right arm. She then formed a bright ring around her body and sent it colliding into everything within the radius of a quarter of a mile, including Kikyo.

"You've gotten better." Kikyo said coldly. She smirked and got up from the ground.

"You ain't seen nothin' yet. Trust me."

Kikyo glared at her and shot another arrow, which Kagome again dodged. Kagome retalliated by shooting a beam of lightning from her palm that struck the dead miko in the stomach, knocking her to the ground again. Kikyo slowly stood up notched another arrow, this time infusing it with purifying energy. She once again sent it hurtling towards Kagome. This one was traveling faster than the others. Kagome attempted to move out of the way, but the arrow grazed her shoulder, tearing her kimono.

While Kagome was distracted, Kikyo set loose another arrow. Kagome saw this one too late and it hit her in the stomach. Kagome froze and Kikyo smirked.

"I guess you didn't get good enough, though." Kikyo said, faking a sympathetic look, and failing miserably, by the way. "Find peace in the afterlife." She shot another arrow at Kagome...it never made contact.

A barrier had errected around the injured miko, who was now glowing bright pink. The arrow in her abdomen disintegrated and the wound healed in a flash of white. When the light subsided, Kikyo watched in amazement and fear as Kagome's appearance drastically changed right before her eyes. The young miko's hair grew at least three feat and changed from black to midnight blue. Her eyes changed from deep chocolate brown to ice blue while she grew nails and fangs. Two lavender stripes appeared beneath Kagome's eyes, on her wrists and ankles, and one stripe appeared on each of her hips. On her forehead there was a dark red four point star.

Kikyo watched as this transformation took place on the other miko. She had never seen anything like this happen, nor had she ever heard of any instances where it had.

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Sesshomaru stopped running when he felt a strong demonic presence suddenly appear a mile ahead of him. Sango, Miroku, Kirara, InuYasha, Yukana, and Kaori caught up with him shortly after.

"Why are we stopping?" Sango cried. "We have to hurry!"

"Damn right! We have to get to Kagome before something kills her!"

"Be silent!" Sesshomaru whispered harshly. Everyone stared at him, confused. When she finally was able to sense what was going on, Yukana's eyes went wide.

"Sesshomaru, what is that?" she asked uncertainly. Kaori was the next to realize what was going on, followed by Kirara, InuYasha, and finally Sango and Miroku.

"Stay here." Sesshomaru ordered. He then sprinted off towards the current location of Kagome and Kikyo. The sight that met his eyes suprised him. On one side of the clearing stood Kikyo, who was gaping at Kagome and looked a bit beat up. On the other side was Kagome, still glowing bright pink.

Kagome's eyes closed and she started to pulsate. The light around Kagome began to get denser and then exploded outward, destroying everything in its path. Sesshomaru quickly used Tenseiga(sp?) to shield himself from the blast, but Kikyo,however, was completely obliterated.

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The others were startled when they heard the explosion. Sango jumped up and attempted to follow Sesshomaru, but was held back by Miroku.

"If something were wrong, Sesshomaru would have come back to warn us." he reassured her.

"But, what if he's hurt, too?"

Sango, I very much doubt that Sesshomaru would be hurt. Remember, he is a full blooded yokai. It would probably take a lot to even slightly injure him."

"Miroku's right." Yukana said. "Besides, most things are too afraid to attack him unless they absolutly believe that they can win. The same should go for whatever is up ahead."

"But what if whatever's up ahead already killed Kagome!" Sango cried. Kaori looked at her and sighed.

"I'm sorry, Sango." she apologized, walking behind her.

"About what?"

"This." Kaori put Sango into a headlock. After a few seconds, Sango's body went limp.

"Kaori! What did you do!" Yukana exclaimed.

"I only put her to sleep!" Kaori said defensively. "Besides, she was getting stressed, and, to be completely honest, she was getting on my nerves. Any of you would have done the same."

"What the hell is taking him so long?" InuYasha yelled impatiently.

"InuYasha, do we need to put you to sleep, too?" Yukana teased. InuYasha glared at her.

"You're lucky that you're my cousin." InuYasha muttered darkly.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

The light died down to reveal nothing but ashes in place of all the trees and grass that were there just moments before. The only clue that Kikyo had once been there was a pile of hot ashes where she had stood.

Kagome was lying on the ground in the only spot that still had grass. Sesshomaru walked up to her and knelt next to her. Kagome was not dead, just unconscious.

_'It's almost impossible that she's not dead.'_ Sesshomaru thought. He picked her up and headed back toward the others.

"What the hell happened!"

"She had a run-in with the dead priestess." Sesshomaru stated simply. InuYasha's eyes widened.

"Is she okay?"

"Do you mean Kagome or Kikyo?" Miroku asked. InuYasha glared at him.

"The miko is fine, though the dead priestess is once again dead."hehe Sesshomaru set Kagome down on the ground next to Sango. Miroku looked down at Kagome curiously.

"She's a youkai." he observed. Sesshomaru nodded.

"She's a what?" Yukana, Kaori, and InuYasha said in unision. They all gathered around the unconcious miko.

"Oh my...you weren't kidding." Yukana gasped. "We should go back now, Sesshomaru. Kagome needs to be looked over." Sesshomaru nodded and led the group back towards his castle.

InuYasha picked up Kagome, leaving Sango to Miroku, who, suprisingly, didn't try anything and set her on a transformed Kirara

InuYasha ran to catch up to Sesshomaru, Yukana, and Kaori, who had quickly gotten at least a quarter of a mile ahead.

"I want details Sesshomaru. What happened?" he demanded.

Sesshomaru calmly recounted the events while, for once, InuYasha listened quietly and patiently.

"So...she killed Kikyo." InuYasha said quietly.

"The miko of whigh you speak was already dead, I believe." InuYasha was silent. He fell back to walk with Sango, Miroku, and Kirara. Sango had woken up by now, but was a bit disoriented. InuYasha put Kagome on Kirara's back and crossed his arms.

"What bothers you, InuYasha?" Miroku inquired.

"It's nothing."

"InuYasha, you're never going to feel better if you don't talk about it."

"Lay off, Miroku!" InuYasha snapped.

Sango adjusted Kagome so that she was laying on her lap and then began stroking her hair. _'The marks on her face...'_ she thought. Sango lightly traced the markings that now adorned Kagome's face.

"InuYasha, what happened to Kagome?" Sango asked quietly. InuYasha glanced at her, but he didn't answer. Sango frowned and looked back at Kagome. It was ironic. She was a taijiya, but her best friend was a full blooded youkai. It was ironic, indeed.

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Kagome awoke to see six pairs of eyes staring at her. She was back in her room with Sango, Miroku, Shippo, Rin, Yukana, and Kaori gathered around her bed.

"Kagome-chan, you're awake!" Rin exclaimed. Kagome winced. "Gomen. Rin forgot about Kagome-chan's ears." Kagome nodded.

"Kagome, how do you feel?" Sango asked.

"I have a headache, but, other than that, I'm fine."

"That's great!" Yukana smiled. "Sesshomaru told us what happened with you and the...dead...thing...who was it again?"

"Kikyo."

"Oh, yeah. Well, do you remember what happened?" Kagome took a moment to think before answering.

"No, not really. The last thing I remember is meeting Kikyo in the woods. And then...nothing." Kagome answered honestly.

"Oh. Sesshomaru wanted to see you when you woke up, so you should get dressed. I think he's in his study." Yukana said. Kagome nodded and started walking over to the wardrobe. Kaori, Sango, and Yukana glanced at each other and ran past Kagome.

Kagome watched as the three of them rummaged through her kimomos, each taking out their favorite and comparing it to the others. Rin and Shippo also came over while Miroku sat in the corner, silently hoping that the girls would forget about him. No such luck.

"Miroku, get out!" Sango ordered. "Kagome has to change."

"Miroku reluctantly left and decided that he was going to try and find InuYasha.

"Hey, look at this one!"

"No, this one's better."

"You're both wrong. I think this one rocks!"

"Can Rin play dress-up, too?" Rin asked hopefully.

"They're not playing dress-up. They're making Kagome look nice." Shippo said.

Kagome stood in the middle of all the noise, holding her ears. Now she knew how Sesshomaru and InuYasha felt.

"Okay! Listen, guys. I'm a big girl. I can dress myself, thank you." Kagome snapped.

"We're not dressing you, we're picking out what you're going to wear." Kaori declared with a grin. "Besides, that's my job, Kagome. You forget that." Kagome frowned, but didn't say anything else.

After about ten minutes they had finally decided on a dark blue kimono with gold and maroon vines along the seams and waistline paired with a gold obi. Sango, Yukana, and Kaori beamed at their decision and quickly pushed Kagome behind a changing screen.

"We'll see you later, Kagome!" Sango called.

"Yeah, have fun!" Yukana added.

"Hey, wait! What-" Kagome started. "Okay. Hello, wall. How are you today. 'Oh, I'm fine, Kagome, and you?' Oh, just peachy."

Kagome continued changing while she contiued to pretend to have a conversation with the wall. She was so busy that she didn' hear her door open.

"Who are you talking to?" Kagome jumped and peered around the screen.

"What are you doing in here?" she exclaimed. "I'm trying to change, you hentai! What are you doing, spying on me?"

"I am not here to spy. I saw Kaori, Yukana, and the taijiya running from here and decided to investigate."

"I don't know what they're up to. They made such a big deal about picking out my kimono today that I just decided to roll with it." Kagome said. "Okay, is that all or do you need something else?"

Kagome walked out from behind the changing screen and finished tying her obi.

"So what did you want? Yukana, Sango, and Kaori said you wanted to see me in your _study_." she continued.

"I heard all of the noise." Sesshomaru stated simply. "What happened between you and the dead miko?"

"I don't remember." Kagome said. "If you were there, why do you want me to tell you?"

"I was not there the entire time, miko. I arrived in time to see the dead priestess shoot an arrow into your stomach."

"We've gone over this already. If you're going to talk to me, call me Kagome!" Kagome snapped. "Kami, it's not _that_ hard to remember."

"I shall call you whatever I please."

"I can't believe that I ever thought that you and InuYasha were different from each other!" Kagome yelled. She turned on her heel and stormed out of the room.

"Hi, Kagome! How was-"

"Not now, Yukana." Kagome said harshly. "I'm going into the garden to train. Don't follow. If anybody asks, I'm in the library and I don't want to be disturbed. Got it?" Yukana nodded and Kagome sighed. "I'm sorry for being so harsh. I'm not in a very good mood right now. Thanks for covering for me." Kagome faked a smile and started walking towards the garden again.

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The doors to Sesshomaru's study burst open, revealing a very pissed off demoness.

"What did you do to Kaogme this time!" Yukana demanded loudly.

"I'm busy, Yukana." Sesshomaru said without looking at her. "Whatever it is, I'm sure it can wait until later."

"No, it can't." she snapped. "I want to know what you did to make Kagome so angry!"

"That is for me to know and you to never find out." Sesshomaru stated calmly.

"I will find out. Tell me what you did." Sesshomaru was silent. Yukana stalked up to the desk and snatched away the document that Sesshomaru had been working on.

"Go apologize to her. She's in the garden." And with that said, Yukana threw the parchment on the floor and left the room.

Sesshomaru sighed and rose from his desk. _'This miko's more trouble than she's worth.'_ he thought. Sesshomaru walked out onto the balcony and jumped down into the garden below. He could see Kagome sitting in the center of the courtyard. She appeared to be meditating.

Kagome knew he was approaching her. She could vaguely hear his footsteps. But, unfortunately for him, she didn't feel like talking. Kagome jumped up and attacked him with what appeared to be a purple whip, much like Sesshomaru's Whip of Light attack.

"Now what do you want?" Kagome asked coldy. "I'm busy."

"I came to apologize...Kagome." Kagome snorted and looked at him, raising her eyebrows. "And also to ask a small favor."

"What is it?" Kagome asked.

"I would like you to accompany me to the southern lord's castle. He is hosting a ball to cellebrate his daughter's ninteenth birthday."

"Okay. In sounds kinda fun. What's his daughter's name?"

"I believe her name is Ayaka." Sesshomaru said. "As the lord of the west, I'm expecter to be there."

"Okay!" Kagome agreed. "When do we leave? Are Sango, Yukana, Kaori, Miroku, InuYasha, Rin, and Shippo allowed to come?"

"Yukana and InuYasha are expected to be there as well, since they are both part of my family. As for everybody else, I believe they are permitted to come. We are leaving in three days." Sesshomaru said. "Tomorrow you will be fitted for your outfit. Kaori will show you where to go."

"Speaking of InuYasha, you haven't seen him lately, have you?" Kagome asked, crossing her arms. Sesshomaru shook his head and Kagome frowned. "There's one more thing I want. I haven't seen my family in quite a while and I'd like to go home after the ball for a short visit."

"Fine."

"And I also want to have a word with Totosai." Kagome added as an afterthought. "I want to have a sword made."

"That can all be done tomorrow." Sesshomaru said. "I will escort you to the well and to Totosai's place tomorrow after your fitting."

"Okay. Hey, wait a minute! How do you know about the well?"

"I have my ways."

"Sesshomaru turned around and started walking back to the castle.

"Hey! Wait for me!" Kagome called, hurrying to catch up. "So what do you plan on doing for the rest of the day?"

"I finished the last of the paperwork earlier." Sesshomaru said. "I don't have anything planned. Why do you ask?"

"Great! We can go on a picnic!" Kagome suggested. "I'll go get everyone else and you can go tell the servants to pack lunch up. Rin would love it! What do 'ya say? Please?"

"Fine."

"Yay! I'll meet you back here in an hour." Kagome sprinted ahead of him and into the castle.

_'Won't the other lords be jealous?'_

_'What are you talking about?'_

_'Kagome. She's cute and powerful. She's also a youkai and a miko. That's a good combination. Not to mention that she's got a mind of her own.'_

_'Perhaps, but she's still InuYasha's. That will never change, no matter how much I want it to.'_

_'If you haven't noticed, genius, InuYasha's mad at Kaogme for getting rid of that dead miko, Kikyo. Right now is your chance!'_

_'I doubt that. Kagome is very loyal to the hanyou.'_

_'Does it matter?'_

_'Go away. You're bothering me.'_

_'Fine. you need to alert the servants anyway. Toodles!'_

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Kagome burst into Sango's room, startling Sango and Kaori. Yukana, however, smirked.

"Get ready, guys! We're going on a picnic!" Kagome exclaimed. "Where are Rin, Shippo, Miroku, and InuYasha at?"

"Rin and Shippo are bothering the cooks in the kitchen and Miroku is probably hanging around the servant's quarters. But I haven't seen InuYasha since yesterday afternoon." Sango said. Kagome frowned.

"Well, if Rin and Shippo are still in the kitchen, then Sesshomaru should have already found them. All there is left to do is find Miroku and InuYasha." Kagome said. "I saw Miroku about fourty-five minutes ago, so he's either woman hunting or looking for InuYasha."

"Or both." Sango said dryly.

"I think InuYasha has a jewel shard with him, so he should be easy to find." Kagome stated. "And if Sango started calling for him, Miroku should come running."

"Great plan!" Sango said. "But why do I have to be the bait?"

"Because Miroku likes you better than the rest of us!" Yukana grinned, patting Sango on the shoulder. Sango frowned and crossed her arms. Kagome motioned for them to follow as she walked out the door.

She led them into a hallway that branched out from the corridor that contained Sango's room and stood in front of the third door to the right.

"He's in here." Kagome whispered. "You guys go find Miroku. I need to talk to InuYasha." The others nodded and walked off.

Kagome slowly opened the door and walked into the room. It was small, dark, and plain, but it still held a sort of comforting quality. InuYasha was sitting in the corner leaning his head against the wall.

"InuYasha? Are you alright?" Kagome asked.

"What's it to you?"

"Listen, I know you're upset, but that doesn't mean you need to hide away from everyone." Kagome said sternly. "I know Miroku's been looking for you."

"There are plenty of women in this castle. There's no way Miroku would pass up a chance to grab some girl's ass to come find me."

"Miroku can't tell his secrets to a woman." Kagome said. When InuYasha didn't answer, she sighed. "InuYasha, Kikyo was already dead. You and I both know that. The only thing that kept her here was her hatred for you. You didn't want her to keep...'living'...like that, would you? I wasn't very fond of Kikyo, but I wouldn't want her to roam in agony like that. She's better off dead."

Kagome saw a tear run down InuYasha's cheek. She walked over and knelt in front of him. He didn't even look up at her.

Kagome reached behind her neck and undid the clasp that held the Shikon no Tama in place. She then reached over and jerked away the chain that held Inuyasha's shard.

"Hey, what do you think you're doing!" InuYasha yelled.

Kagome placed the shard into a small gap in the bottom of the jewel. The Shikon no Tama glowed brighter than ever before. It was complete. Kagome handed it to InuYasha.

"But how-"

"I can call them. Naraku doesn't have any more shards." Kagome smiled softly. "Take it. You'll find something to use it for." Kagome stood up and walked to the door. She opened it and turned around. "I almost forgot. We're going on a picnic, do you want to come?"

InuYasha shook his head and Kagome left the room.

_'We have the jewel. That means that the onlu thing left to do is defeat Naraku.'_ Kagome thought. _'It shouldn't be that hard. I'm a full blooded youkai now, so I'm a lot stronger than I used to be. Still, Naraku is also powerful without the jewel shards and he has Kagura and Kanna there to help him. Maybe there's a way to get them on our side...'_

"Kagome!" Sango called, running up to her with Kaori, Yukana, and Miroku in tow. "We found him. Suprisingly, he was in the library.

"Great, so are you guys ready to get goin'? We've got about fifteen minutes until it's time to go." Kagome said.

"Uh, Kagome, where's InuYasha?" Yukana asked, looking around the hall.

"Oh, yeah...InuYasha...he's not coming. He's...busy." Kagome smiled softly. "Let's go before we're late."

"Where are Rin and Shippo?" Miroku asked. "Are they not coming?"

"Sango said that they were bothering the kitchen staff, so Sesshomaru should have them. Now, come on! We're going to be late!" Kagome took Sango's hand and pulled her down the hall, followed by everyone else.

"Well, somebody's excited." Yukana said slyly. "What's so special about a picnic? Do you have something...interesting planned?"

"I haven't been _really_ out of the castle in quite some time." Kagome said lightly. "Besides, I want to test out these new abilities."

"Right...sure you do." Yukana said sarcastically.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that Yukana thinks you have the hots for Sesshomaru." Sango said, giggling loudly. Kagome sweatdropped.

"Ha!" Kaori exclaimed. "It's true!"

"No! It's not like that!" Kagome said defensively. "Miroku, a little help here, if you don't mind!"

"Uh...I believe it would be better if I stayed out of this one, Kagome." Miroku said uncertainly. "I'm not good with female problems."

"Well, you're a big help." Kagome muttered. "Perhaps I should mention that I think Sango has the hots for Miroku over there. Or that Kaori seems to be particularly fond of the youkai that just happens to be Sesshomaru's head of guard. And don't forget Yukana's little crush on the northern lord's younger brother. Would you like me to continue, or should I stop here?"

"How...how do you know all this?" Yukana stammered.

"What, do you honestly think I spend my day sitting in my room?" Kagome asked shrewdly. "I know everything that goes on around here. For example, Kaori has a sister named Amira and she also works here. The only reason nobody else knows is becouse Amira is a shapeshifter and masquerades as and inu youkai who goes by the name Miyuki. Yukana's worst fear just happens to be dead things that come back to life. Or, in other words, zombies."

"Okay, Kagome. You're starting to scare me." Kaori said slowly. "You can stop now."

Kagome led them out of the castle and back into the garded where Sesshomaru was already waiting. He had somehow managed to get Rin and Shippo to sit still on Ah-Un while he loaded up the supplies.

Sesshomaru turned around when he heard footsteps approaching behind him. Kagome was in the lead, grinning smugly while the others followed behind giving her strange looks.

"Hey, Sesshomaru, Kagome's kinda scaring me." Yukana said uneasily. Sesshomaru raised his eyebrows. "She probably knows more about us than we do! I swear, the woman's a psychic!"

"I'm not a psychic, Yukana." Kagome stated. "I'm just really good at sneaking around."

"So you were spying on us!" Kaori yelled.

"I tolk you I didn't just sit in my room all day, didn't I?"

"That's not nice, Kagome."

"Hehehe...I was kidding." Kagome said. "I know because there are books on these things where I come from. Sango, you at least should have known that."

"That's cheating." Yukana muttered.

"Are we ready then?" Kagome asked happily. Everyone else nodded. "Alrighty then, off we go! Left, right, left! Left, right..." Kagome stopped chanting when every body began to stare at her. "Okay, I'll shut up now..."

"We're not walking, Kagome-chan." Rin said. "We're flying!"

Kagome wondered how this was going to work. She knew that Sango and Miroku would ride on Kirara and Rin and Shippo would ride Ah-Un with Kaori and Yukana. But what was she going to do? Sure, she was a demon, but she hadn't mastered any of her new abilities, so she didn't know if there was a way for her to fly by herself.

"Kagome, come here." Sesshomaru ordered. His cloud formed beneath his feet and he motioned for Kagome to get on.

"Um...are you sure this is going to work?" Kagome asked warily.

"It will if you stay still." Kagome slowly stepped onto the white mass, expecting to fall through. It felt solid underneath her feet, so she relaxed and sat down.

Sesshomaru looked down at Kagome and inwardly smiled. He decided that he would have to teach her to use her demonic powers, of course with Yukana's help, due to the fact that there are a few differences between the abilities of a male and female youkai.

He took off and heard Kagome gasp and fall over.

"Hey! I wasn't ready yet!" Kagome said loudly.

"You need to learn to never let your guard down. It could just be the last thing you'll ever do." Sesshomaru advised.

"You make it sound like somebody's gonna jump out of the bushes and chop my head off." Kagome muttered loud enought for Sesshomaru to hear.

"They just might."


	9. Tree Huggers

Archangel's Requiem: S-A-N-G-O, S-A-N-G-O, S-A-N-G-O and Sango was her name, OH! What? It's not? Hey, that ain't fair!

InuYasha: Shut up, woman!

Sango: InuYasha, put a sock in it. I'm actually having fun!

IY: Well of course you are! She's sitting there singing about you. I'm the main character here. Why doesn't she sing about me? What kind of a name is Archangel's Requiem, anyway?

S: First, there are no songs to put your name into. And second, I think Archangel's Requiem rocks!

AR: Hey, you wanna take this outside? I know karate and I'll kick your ass at it, too!

IY: Feh

AR: Sango, go get my bo staff.

S: Alright! Do you think everyone else would like to see this?

AR: Yeah, go get 'em. Sesshy-sama would love to see puppy get his butt kicked by a girl.

Kagome: Hey everybody! Whats up? Uhhh...whats goin' on?

S: It's a fight!

Yukana: Who's fighting? Is it going to be funny?

IY: Will you all go away?

Kaori: Oh, chill out doodle.

IY: Stop calling me doodle!

Amira: Well, while these guys argue it out I'll just give you the story. Archangel's Requiem doesn't own the original characters, but there are a select few of us that she does own. That covers it, I think.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_There's a heart that must be_

_Free to fly_

_That burns with a need to know_

_The reason why_

_Why must we all conceal_

_What we think, how we feel_

_Must there be a secret me_

_I'm forced to hide_

_(Christina Aguilera: Reflection)_

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Don't Fall Away

Chapter Nine: Tree Huggers

"Ha ha. That was so funny I forgot to laugh." Kagome said sarcasticly.

"I wasn't joking."

"Well, maybe you weren't, but I think I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself, thank you very much."

"I never said you weren't." Sesshomaru stated. "I merely suggested that you stay aware of your surroundings."

"I am aware of my surroundings!" Kagome shouted irritatedly. "As far as I'm concerned life doesn't need a battle strategy. Sure, someone could jump out of the bushes and chop my head off, but not right now 'cause I'm in the air! I'll focus on what's going on around me when I find it to be necessary. Now would you chill out?"

"Too late, Kagome!" Yukana called. "I think he beat you to that one. He chilled out years ago!" Kagome giggled and nodded.

They decended into a clearing around five minutes later. Kagome hopped off the cloud and her and Sango started setting everything up.

"Kagome, you're trying to steal my job again!" Kaori complained.

"This is what I'm used to doing when we stop for a meal. Leave me alone!" Kagome said loudly. "I still want things to be as normal as possible."

"But-"

"As normal as possible!" Kagome repeated louder than before. Kaori crossed her arms and frowned.

"If she keeps this up, I'll be out of a job." she whispered to Yukana. Yukana nodded in agreement.

"I heard that!" Kagome called back to them. "Don't worry, I'm not going to run you out of a job. You just have to let me get used to having people do everything for me. But, until then, you just have to deal with it."

"Kagome, let Kaori do her job." Sesshomaru ordered.

"But-"

"Kagome-chan! Rin and Shippo want to play tag!" Rin said excitedly. "Will you play with us?" Kagome sighed.

"Okay, let's go." Kagome took the children into a nearby field as the others watched them play their game. Rin and Shippo quickly scattered, leaving Kagome to assume that she was 'it'.

Sango and Yukana watched them run around and decided to also join in, leaving Miroku, Kaori, and Sesshomaru to deal with the supplies.

"Would you like some help, Kaori?" Miroku asked.

"Not from you. Sango and Kagome told me all about you, Miroku." Kaori said, shaking her head. Miroku frowned. "Just about the only thing you'd help me do would be to take my clothes off." she added in an undertone. Miroku grinned sheepishly.

Sesshomaru glanced across the field to where Kagome, Rin, Shippo, Yukana, and Sango were playing tag. Kagome had jumped into a tree, leaving Sango and Yukana running from the kids on the ground. Kaori looked up and followed his gaze. She giggled.

"Hehehe...Kagome is cheating." she observed playfully. "Maybe you should go fix that problem. It can't be fair for her to be in a tree while everyone else has to stay on the ground."

"Yukana could easily go and get Kagome if she wanted to." Sesshomaru stated. "I see no reason to get involved."

"But they can't see her through the leaves!" Kaori complained. "How are they supposed to know where she is! You need to go get her out! It's only fair." Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow.

"I'll go!" Miroku volenteered, jumping up. Kaori ignored him and Miroku sat back down, pouting.

Kagome was peeking through the leeves of the tree. She was right when she assumed that this would make a great hiding spot. The others didn't even see her. Kagome jumped and almost fell off when she heard someone land on the branch behind her. She turned and smiled.

"What 'cha up to, Sesshomaru?" she asked, still grinning.

"You're cheating." Kagome stopped smiling and tilted her head.

"It's not cheating, it's bending the rules." she declared. "Besides, this is a great lookout position. I can see everything for two kilometers (from what I know Japan doesn't use the same measurement system as we do)! That and I got kinda bored. Tag is such an old game. She needs to find something more up to date, like Twister."

"Kagome, Rin is not from your era." Sesshomaru said. "To her, tag is a relatively new game."

"I know, but I really don't like playing the same game over and over again. What happened to that yo-yo I gave her?"

"It is in her room with all of the other toys that she has."

"What are Sesshomaru-sama and Kagome-chan doing up there?" Kagome looked down at the small girl and blushed.

"Hi, Rin." Kagome said.

"Kagome-chan, why are you turning red?" Rin asked, tilting her head. Sesshomaru looked over at Kagome and smirked. She was trying to hide her face with her hands and also attempting to talk to Rin at the same time.

"Um...it's just really hot up here."

Sango, Yukana, and Shippo saw Rin standing under the tree and talking to someone, and they decided to see who it was. The scene they found was priceless. Rin was looking up at a blushing Kagome who was sitting next to Sesshomaru, who looked like he was slightly smiling. Sango giggled and Kagome's blush deepened.

"Uhhh...I'm gonna go get something to eat." Kagome said, jumping down from the limb. She rushed over to Kaori and Miroku and sat between them. Kaori covered her mouth with her hand to stop herself from laughing at the expression on Kagome's face.

"So...giggle...what's going...giggle...going on."

"You know what, Kaori? Suprisingly, you're not helping very much." Kagome muttered. Kaori grinned.

"You are blushing, Kagome." Miroku observed. Kagome scoweled. "Is there a problem I can help you with?" Miroku's hand started to wander towards her butt. Kagome spun around, pointing a finger at him.

"If you like that hand of yours you will get it away from me before I remove it." she warned severely. Miroku scratched the back of his neck and chuckled nervously.

"That was harsh, Kagome." he said. "Why do you think so low of me?"

"It's not that I think low of you, it's that I don't trust you within three feet of me." she said. "There is a difference."

Eventually, everyone else came over and they all had lunch, excluding Sesshomaru who claimed that he did not need anything at that moment. Yukana and Sango noticed that Kagome would cast a glance toward Sesshomaru every now and then.

"It is time to go back." Sesshomaru announce around two hours later. Kaori gathered the supplies, but this time with Kagome staying out of the way, and they set off towards the castle again.

The arrangements remained the same with Kaori, Yukana, Rin, and Shippo on Ah-Un, Sango and Miroku on Kirara, and Kagome riding with Sesshomaru. Kagome was obviously tired. She sat by Sesshomaru's feet, leaned against his leg, and fell asleep almost instantly. Sesshomaru looked at her out of the corner of his eye and smiled ever so slightly.

When they landed, Rin, Shippo, Sango, Miroku, and Yukana went to go take a nap, leaving Sesshomaru with the sleeping Kagome. He gently lifted her into his arms (yes, I say he has both) and walked into the castle.

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AR- What did y'all think?

K- I liked it.

IY- That's only because you got to snuggle with Sesshomaru.

K- Do you want me to say 'it', InuYasha?

IY- I have to go find Miroku.

AR- Okay, then. I'll see all of you people later. Until next chapter, dasvidanya!


	10. Mistakes

Yukana- Well, now you've gone and done it.

InuYasha- What did I do now? It's not my fault every time something happens around here, you know.

Kaori- Yes it is. You're the only one around here stupid enough to do it.

IY- Knock it off, you two. This isn't funny.

Y- Maybe not to you. But it is to us.

Kagome- runs in and stands by door Have any of you seen Sesshomaru around here lately?

Ka- No, why?

K- He was supposed to take Rin to the mall today.

Y- Sesshomaru was taking Rin to the mall? Is it just me, or is there something wrong with that idea. That guy would never go out in public _here_.

Sesshomaru- Maybe not, but this Sesshomaru never breaks a promise.

Rin- bounces into the room It's time to leave, Sesshomaru-sama!

K- I'll go, too! It's been forever since I went to the mall. Let me just grab my jacket. runs out of room

Sango- Well, since they're leaving, I guess there's no reason to hang around. So, I'll just give you the story.

Archangel's Requiem- Oh, no you don't! That's my job! Okay, I don't own any of the original characters. I only own Yukana, Kaori, and the idea of Amira/Miyuki. I also own the plot of this story! But...

Miroku- creeps up behind AR Are you sure you don't own us?

WHACK!

AR- Ga! Don't do that, you hentai! Here, you guys can have the story while I deal with this pervert.

M- But, I didn't do anything...yet.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

_Well, my girl's in the next room  
Sometimes I wish she was you  
I guess we never really moved on  
It's really good to hear your voice saying my name  
It sounds so sweet  
Coming from the lips of an angel  
Hearing those words it makes me weak  
And I never wanna say goodbye  
But girl you make it hard to be faithful  
With the lips of an angel  
(Hinder: Lips of an Angel)_

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Don't Fall Away

Chapter Ten: Mistakes

Sesshomaru set Kagome down in her bed. She looked beautiful when she slept, though Sesshomaru didn't want to admit it. He started to leave, but turned around when he heard a faint moan come from Kagome's bed. Kagome rolled over and whimpered into her pillow. Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow and quietly walked back towards her bed.

Kagome's sudden restlessness interested the taiyokai. Sesshomaru didn't remember her ever acting that way, not even when she was with InuYasha. He quietly walked back to Kagome's bed and placed his hand on her forehead, most likely making sure that she wasn't ill.

There was a knock on the door. A few seconds later Jaken scuttled into the room, followed by a young kitsune. He appeared to be about sixteen in human years.

"There is a messanger here for you from the northern taiyoukai, Sesshomaru-sama." the toad announced. The kitsune bowed when Jaken said his name. Sesshomaru nodded slightly. He cast a furtive glance at Kagome before leading Jaken and the messanger from the north out of the room.

Sesshomaru led them into his study and took a seat behind his desk.

"What does Lord Takeru need?"

"The lord and lady are pleased to inform you theat Lady Hikari has concieved a daughter." the kitsune announced. "The child will be born in approximately ninety days. The lady has extended an invitation to a ball that will be held thirty days after the birth of the princess." Sesshomaru nodded and dismissed the messanger, along with his retainer.

There was a gentle knock on the door.

"Enter." Yukana poked her head in and grinned. She walked in and closed the door behind her.

"So...I heard from a rather...reliable source that you asked Kagome to..._accampany_ you to Lord Daijirou's ball." Yukana said slyly. "What did she say?"

"Yukana, is there something _important_ that you wish to speak with me about? I am busy. I don't have time for an interrogation." Sesshomaru stated.

"It is not an interrogation, Sesshomaru. I just asked you a simple question. Why are you avoiding it?"

"I'm not avoiding the question. I don't have time for it right now." Sesshomaru turned to the large stack of paperwork that seemed to be begging to be finished.

Yukana huffed and started toward the door. Sesshomaru looked up from the letter he was reading with a faint look of pity in his eyes.

"Yukana, I need you to go find Kaori and send her to me."

"Why? Is it...?" Sesshomaru nodded and Yukana sprinted from the study in search of the young demoness.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kaori silently crept out of Kagome's room, closing the door as quietly as she could manage, trying not to wake her. She walked across the hall to check on Rin and Shipp, who had gone to Rin's room shortly after their return. Kaori opened the door and peeked in. Rin and Shippo were sitting on the floor and playing with Rin's dolls. They looked up when they heard the door open and grinned.

"Hello, Kaori-chan!" Rin said.

"Hi, Rin. I just came in to check on you and Shippo." Kaori backed out of the room and continued down the hall, peering into the rooms as she passed.

"Kaori!" Yukana called. Kaori turned at the sound of her name.

"Hey, Yukana. Do you need something?" she asked.

"Yeah, Sesshomaru needs to see you."

"Where is he?"

"Where do you think?" Kaori shrugged and started waking towards Sesshomaru's study. _'I didn't do anything wrong, did I?'_ she thought. _'Maybe he found out about my crush on Atoshi...'_ Kaori halted in front of the doors and nervously knocked. She heard Sesshomaru give her permission to enter and did so.

"How may I be of service, Sesshomaru-sama?" Kaori asked politely.

"Kaori, your mother has passed away." Sesshomaru informed her. "She died two nights ago. Your father wants you and Amira to return home as soon as you are able to do so."

Kaori froze. _'No..th..there must have been a mistake. It has to be a mistake...it just has to!' _she thought desperately. Her body went numb and she felt the tears welling in her eyes.

Yukana silently entered behind Kaori. She walked up to the sobbing female and wrapped her arms around her shoulders.

"Shhh...don't cry. Everything is going to be okay." Yukana said soothingly. She let go and started coaxing her towards the door. "C'mon, Kaori, I'll help you pack. I will find another servant to do the rest of your chores." Kaori nodded and followed numbly behind Yukana, leaving Sesshomaru alone once again.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kagome awoke to the sound of loud hiccuping outside of her door. She slid out of her bed and made her way to the door. She opened it and saw Yukana leading a distressed Kaori down the hall. Kagome quickly ran up to them with concern clearly written on her soft features.

"Oh, no. What happened?!" Kagome exclaimed. "Kaori, are you okay?" Yukana shook her head sadly and pulled Kagome off to the side.

"Kagome, Kaori's mother passed away a couple of nights ago and she just got the news." Yukana explained. "Sesshomaru told her to take Amira and go home for a little while. He said that her father requested it."

Kagome gasped and covered her mouth. She unknowingly mimmicked Yukana and pulled Kaori into a tight embrace, making the demoness lose any composure she had left and start sobbing into her arms. It was loud enough to draw Rin, Shippo, Sango, and Miroku into the corridor.

Sango looked at her questioningly. Kagome frowned and shook her head, clearly trying to say 'not now.' Sango nodded and, with Miroku's help, hearded the children away from the unfortunate scene.

"It i...isn't fair!" Kaori cried, holding on to Kagome like a lifeline. Kagome kneeled, taking Kaori with her to the ground. "If I was there...if I was there I could...could have he...he...helped her! But I...I wasn't! It's m...my fault!"

"No, Kaori. Don't say that." Kagome whispered gently. "There was nothing you could have done to stop this."

"Father told me sh...she was ill! He to...told me not to leave, but I did! If I...wasn't mad...mad at her, maybe...maybe I would have stayed and...and she'd still be al...alive!" she wailed.

"Kaori, stop it." Kagome said sternly. "There was nothing, _nothing_ you could have done. Do you hear me? Everyone makes mistakes. That's part of life. It doesn't matter what you are, human or demon, you still make mistakes." Kagome sighed.

"I know how you feel." she continued, softer this time. "I know what it feels like to lose somebody, how it feels to know that I could have made a difference and maybe even prevented it from happening. That's...that's how I lost my father." Yukana gaped at Kagome, who had begun stroking Kaori's hair, offering comfort. Her aura was a soft shade of purple, showing sorrow and pity. Kagome held Kaori tighter. _'Kagome riminds me of...my...my mother.'_

Kaori calmed down considerably after that. She sniffed hugged Kagome tightly, finding comfort in the fact that she knew what she was going through.

"Arigatou, Kagome." Kaori whispered. She let go of Kagome and stood up, taking time to recompose herself and wipe the tears from her face before she decided to leave and pack her things. Yukana smiled warmly at Kagome, who was still sitting on the floor, and followed Kaori.

Kagome stood up and dusted the dirt from her kimono. She started heading towards the garden where she knew Sango and Miroku had taken the children. However, she decided to pay a visit to Sesshomaru before she checked on Rin and Shippo to see what he planned to do without Kaori there.

"Kagome! What's going on out here?" InuYasha asked, running up to her. "Who was crying?"

"Kaori was." Kagome said sympathetically. "Her mother died. She's going home for a few days. Apparently her father wants her and her sister there when they bury her."

"Oh..." InuYasha reached into his sleeve and pulled something out. He held his hand out for Kagome to take it.

"What are you doing, InuYasha?" Kagome asked. "I gave that to you. Why are you giving it back?"

"I don't want it. I don't know what to do with it, so I won't use it." InuYasha said, shoving the Shikon no Tama into Kagome's hand.

Kagome stared at the jewel, confused. _'Did InuYasha really just refuse to use the Shikon jewel?' _Kagome thought. She looked up, but InuYasha had already left. Kagome shrugged and placed the jewel around her neck, then proceded to find Sesshomaru.

A young woman dressed in the traditional garb of a miko rounded the corner in front of Kagome. She stopped when she caught sight of the unfamiliar demoness that stood in front of her.

"Are you the one that is supposed to train me, Kiri, and Yue?" she inquired curiously. Kagome nodded. "Oh. I'm Sakurako."

"My name is Kagome."

"Well, I look foreward to our lessons, Kagome-sensei." Sakurako said courtly. She then calmly continued on her way.

Kagome shook her head. _'That girl seems a bit off...'_ Kagome thought. The girl, whom she believed had called herself Sakurako, made her feel uncomfortable for some reason. There was just something about her that bothered Kagome and made her suspicious of the young miko-in-training. Kagome decided that she'd have to keep and eye on the strange female.

Kagome continued walking to Sesshomaru's study. When she arrived, she knocked softly and, when given permission, entered. Sesshomaru looked up at her.

"You seem uneasy, Kagome." he observed.

"Oh, it's not important." Kagome said, blushing. "What I wanted to talk about was Kaori. What are you going to do without her? She seemed to be a very important figure among your staff. I heard that everyone else looked up to her."

"Hn."

"So what are you gonna do?"

"Her duties will be split among the other servants until her return." Sesshomaru answered.

"Oh, okay. I guess that's all." Kagome said slowly. "I'll leave now, then. You look busy."

"What else is on your mind?"

"What?"

"I do not repeat myself." Sesshomaru said.

"Oh, that." Kagome said nervously. "I told you, it's nothing."

"If it were nothing, it wouldn't bother you so much." Sesshomaru observed shrewdly, silently scanning Kagome's eyes for any hint of what she was thinking. Kagome sighed.

"It's just one of the mikos that I'm supposed to train: Sakurako. Something about her seems a bit strange." she explained. "I have this strange feeling, almost like she's up to something. But I'm probably just being paranoid. It's fine, really. I can handle it."

"Sakurako is of no threat to you." Sesshomaru informed her. "She is cocky, and therefore usually takes too much pride in her studies. She tried to out-perform the others and almost killed the other miko I had training them."

"Oh. Listen, I have to go check on Rin and Shippo. I'll see you later." Kagome hurried out of the room and headed toward the garden.

----------------------------------------------------------

AR: Yay! I'm done!

IY: It's about time. What took you so long?

M: Oh, InuYasha, calm down.

Ka: Why did you have to make me look like a baby like that?

AR: Uhh...

Hikari: When do I get to make an appearance? Will it be soon?

AR: Maybe in chapter twelve. The next one is for her visit home and to Totosai.

H: frowns

AR: Well, its time for me to get going. I have school in the morning. turns to face characters You all remember to stay put. Miroku, if you follow me to school again, I'll make your hands match. Got it?

M: sighUnderstood.

AR: Okay, y'all. I'm out. Dasvidanya! And remember, don't forget to review!


	11. Visions of Sapphire Dragons

AR: Hi, I'm back! Did y'all miss me?

M: I missed you.

AR: sigh Excluding you, hentai. Anyway, I'm really sorry that I haven't updated lately. I had a lot to do! I was falling behind in school and I just had to catch up. But that shouldn't be a problem now 'cause the second marking period has started and now I'm not behind anymore! Yay! Oh, yeah. We've got a special guest today, but that will only last for like five seconds bacause the special guest is just annoying. Any guesses who?

S: Hey, AR, what is _she_ doing here? That's the special guest?! gestures at Kikyo who is in the corner

Kikyo: looks up hopefully Do I get to come back into the story?

S: No! You were obliterated, remember? Right, Archangel? Uhhh...why are you smiling like that?

AR: Hehehe...you'll see.

K: I hate it when you smile like that, AR.

Ki: Hmm...come to think of it, so do I.

S: Be quiet, right now you're not in the story, but if Requiem decides to let you in later, you're still not in now! So get out of our skit!

Ki: Hmph! Fine! leaves

AR: Oh, Kagome, don't worry. Nothing bad is going to happen. Well, at least not yet.

K: Requiem! Cut it out!

Se: The human is planning something.

IY: No shit, Sherlock.

Ka: Watch your mouth, Doodle! There is a child in here!

R: It's okay! Rin doesn't mind.

Y: Yes you do, Rin.

R: Oh, okay. Don't use bad language, Doodle-chan. Rin minds.

IY: glares at Kaori I'm gonna get you one of these days. Now you even have her calling me that rediculous nickname.

K: Oh, InuYasha, chill out. I think it's a cute nickname.

AR: Did y'all forget about me? I'm still here!

M: _I_ didn't forget about you Angel-sama. reaches towards AR's behind

AR: Gah! Do you want to keep that hand of yours?!

M: Calm down, Angel-sama. I mean no harm.

AR: Don't call me that. Call me AR or Requiem, just like everybody else does.

R: Can Rin call you Angel-sama? It's a very pretty name.

AR: Well, you can. Okay people, it's time for the story. A very special thank you goes out to Sesshyfanchick for some help with this chapter. Thank you! If you'v gotten this far, you've already seen all the disclaimers that I for some reason keep putting up. So, there should be no reason to repeat myself. It hurts too much. I hope y'all were paying attention...

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_The worst is over now_

_And we can breathe again_

_I want to hold you high_

_You steal my pain away_

_There's so much left to learn_

_And no one left to fight_

_I want to hold you high_

_And steal your pain_

_(Broken: Amy Lee and Seether)_

_---------------------------------------------------------------------_

Don't Fall Away

Chapter Eleven: Visions of Sapphire Dragons

Kagome stepped into the sunlight, shielding her eyes as soon as the sun's bright rays hit her face. Sango, Miroku, Rin, and Shippo were sitting in the center of the large garden. Sango and Miroku were teaching the children a hand game that Kagome had taught to them a few months ago.

"Hi, Kagome-chan!" Rin exclaimed. "Sango-chan is teaching Rin and Shippo a game!"

"Hmm...I kinda gotta go do something. I'm leaving tomorrow."

"You're leaving?! Did Rin do something?" Rin asked guiltily.

"No, Rin. I'll be back." Kagome giggled. "I'm only leaving for a few hours. I'm going to go visit my family and see if Totosai will forge me a sword."

"What do you need a sword for, Kagome?" Sango inquired.

"That is none of your buisness." Kagome said airily, pretending to examine her claws. "Besides, it would come in handy. The battle with Naraku is coming up really soon, so how am I supposed to protect myself if I'm only trained with long-range weapons? I need to be able to defend myself if an enemy gets too close for my arrows."

"But you're a fully trained miko now, so can't you use some of that energy to defend yourself if a demon gets too close?" Sango asked.

"That takes time and valuable energy that could be used for stuff like healing after the battle." Kagome explained. "I have to have a way to fight without using too much of my spiritual energy. That way, less people will die from wounds afterward."

"Well, I guess that makes sense." Sango said slowly. She looked at Kagome. The young miko always put everyone else before herself. Sango knew that this would eventually be her undoing, although she didn't want to admit it out loud. Kagome gave her a reassuring smile and went back into the castle. Sango frowned, staring after her.

"Is something the matter, Sango-chan?" Rin asked curiously, staring at Sango with her big, brown eyes.

"No. I was just...thinking." Sango turned back to Shippo and Rin and continued their game, her mind still wandering to Kagome.

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"Okay, Kagome, it's time to get up!" Yukana shouted, yanking the blankets from the bed. Kagome groaned and rolled over as she felt for her missing source of warmth. Yukana sighed and picked up the bucket of cold water she had sitting next to her.

"You asked for it." she said apologeticly, dumping the water all over the sleeping miko. Kagome made a sudden movement and, once again, tumbled out of her bed. She glared daggars at Yukana, who was smiling innocently.

"Why can't you think of a normal way to wake me up?" Kagome muttered. "You don't always have to make me fall out of my bed."

"Oh, calm down. Even if I did try to wake you up in a normal way, it wouldn't work, because you're a heavy sleeper." Yukana said. "We gotta jolt you. And if it scares you enough that you fall out of bed, then so be it. Now hurry up and get ready! Sesshomaru is waiting for you!"

"Huh? Why?"

"Aren't you supposed to go somewhere today?"

"Oh my...I totally forgot! Yukana, help me!" Kagome begged. "You pick out something for me to wear while i go take a bath. I'll be back in like ten minutes." Kagome grabbed a towel from her cabinet and raced out the door.

Yukana smirked and casually strolled over to Kagome's wardrobe. She opened the finely crafted doors and examined its contents. She looked closely at every kimono in it, throwing the ones she didn't like across the room. Eventually, the floor ended up completly covered in discarded clothing.

"Yukana! What in the seven hells are you doing?!" Kagome exclaimed, stepping over the numerous expensive kimonos that now littered her floor.

"I'm picking out your outfit, just like you told me to. You really don't have very much in here."

"Are you kidding?! There's a whole bunch of stuff in here which, by the way, needs to be washed now." Kagome said, picking up the kimonos as she made her way toward the other demoness. "If I would have known you would have pulled this stunt, I wouldn't have put you in charge of what I wear today. Now it's going to take even longer because I have to clean up this mess."

"Kagome, calm down. That's what servants are for." Yukana insisted, reaching back into the wardrobe. "Besides, I wanted to pick the perfect one.

"What _are_ you talking about? I'm not going anywhere special. All I'm doing is going to Totosai and home to visit my family. Why do I need to wear something nice to do that?"

"That may be all you're doing, but if you're going with Sesshomaru then you have to dress nicely." Yukana explained. "Remember, you are under his care, meaning you always have to look your best, whether you want to or not."

Kagome heard somebody knock on her door and went to answer it. Sango was standing there with a grin on her face and a bundle of cloth in her arms.

"What is that, Sango?" Kagome asked curiously.

"Well, if you're going to get into close combat, then you're going to need one of these." Sango announced, handing the bundle to Kagome.

"What is it?"

"I'm not going to _tell_ you!" Sango exclaimed. "You're going to have to open it and find out!" Kagome walked over to her bed while Sango made her way towards Yukana.

"It looks like InuYasha let loose his Kaze no Kizu in here." Sango said offhandedly, looking around the room. Yukana grinned sheepishly as Sango picked up one of the kimonos. "What happened in here?"

"I was picking out Kagome's oufit."

"Just let her wear this one." Sango said, holding up a dark blue kimono with small pink and silver flowers on the left shoulder that crept onto the back and wrapped around the waistline. There was also a matching pink and silver obi.

"Oh, why didn't I see that one?" Yukana asked herself, taking the silk garment from Sango.

"Maybe it was because you were too busy tearing up my room?!" Kagome called from the other side of the room. "Oh, cool! Thank you Sango!"

"It was nothing. It was mine, but I've never worn it."

"What is it?!" Yukana asked excitedly.

"It's a demon slayer's outfit! I've always wanted one of these!" Kagome held up the outfit for Yukana to see. It looked almost exactly like Sango's, save for the fact that the red sections of Sango's uniform was teal on Kagome's. "Oh, I love irony! Don't you Sango?"

"How is this ironic, Kagome?" Sango and Yukana asked in unision.

"I'm a demon and a demon slayer!" Kagome squealed. "But right now I have to get ready, so you two have to get lost." Kagome shoved them out the door, being careful not to let her towel fall.

Kagome quickly got dressed, wearing her new demon slayer's outfit underneath the kimono that Yukana picked out. She grabbed her bag and raced down the stairs at breakneck speed. She stopped in front of the door that lead out of the castle and put her hand to her head. Kagome had made herself dizzy on that one. _'Memo to self: don't do that again until you get more training.'_

Kagome gathered her composure once more and walked out of the castle and into the bright morning sunlight.

Sesshomaru was waiting with Ah-Un when Kagome came out. She had a knack for picking out the kimonos that brought out all of her best physical attributes. He wondered if she did it on purpose, but quickly discarded that idea. Kagome walked over to him, smiling brightly.

"Where are we going first?" she asked.

"We're going to get your sword first." Sesshomaru answered coolly.

"Okay. How long is it going to take to get to Totosai's?" Kagome asked casually.

"If we go my way it should only take about an hour."

"And what, pray tell, is your way?"

"You will see." Kagome yelped when Sesshomaru suddenly wrapped one of his arms around her waist and jumped into the air, forming his cloud beneath his feet. Kagome struggled out of his grip and turned to face him, glaring hostily.

"What the hell are you trying to do, give me a heart attack or something?!" she yelled.

"I told you to never let your guard down." Kagome let out a very unladylike snort and turned away from him.

"You are so paranoid! You act like everyone and everything is out to get you, or something!" Kagome sighed and sat down. "I'm still staying with the idea that nobody is going to jump out of a bush and chop my head off. You should learn to realax a little bit, Sesshomaru."

"That doesn't seem like a wise idea, miko."

"Well, maybe it isn't, but you're always so tense and moody." Kagome said. "And you always have to have everything planned out beforhand. Sometimes it works to just be impulsive."

"Impulsive...?"

"Oh, yeah, right...it's like a word that we use in my time. It's kinda like being spontaneous or doing things that aren't planned or sometimes even not logical." Kagome explained. "Look at me! I do it all the time and I'm not dead yet."

"The key word there is 'yet'. And I know what impulsive is. " Sesshomaru stated calmly, smirking when he heard Kagome huff from behind him.

Kagome sighed and peered over the edge of the cloud, silently admiring the beauty of the Feudal Era. She glanced at Sesshomaru and started biting her claws. Kagome laughed quietly, imagining the look on Yukana's face if she were there.

_Flashback_

_Kagome took her seat between Yukana and Sango and started biting at her finger nails._

_"Kagome, if you were a demon, that habit of yours would get you into trouble." Yukana told her. Kagome looked at her._

_"Well, I'm not a demon, so it doesn't matter!" Kagome said brightly. "Besides, if I were a demon I also wouldn't just join random groups as they walked by."_

_"Hey, Sesshomaru's my cousin. It's different when you're related to them." Yukana said defensively._

_"You weren't realated to me, though, were you?"_

_"Hey, that's cheating!" Yukana complained._

_"No, its not cheating." Kagome said. "I like to think of it as-"_

_"Kagome!" Sango exclaimed._

_"What!? I'm not doing anything!"_

_"Just cool it. You're gonna scare her away!" Sango laughed._

_End Flashback_

Sesshomaru heard Kagome giggle from behind him and turned his head far enough so that he could see her. She was biting at her claws while trying to hide the smirk on her face.

"I seem to remember hearing Yukana tell you not to do that." Sesshomaru said, smirking. Kagome discontinued the mutilation of her claws and looked at him.

"I do not recall that conversation." Kagome said coolly, not bothering to hide the smirk that appeared once more on her face.

Kagome and Sesshomaru arrived at Totosai's residence around forty-five minutes later. Kagome, who had once again taken to leaning against Sesshomaru's leg, jumped up and ran toward the entrance. Totosai greeted her nervously, suspiciously watching the taiyokai behind her.

"Hi Totosai. Wanna do me a favor?" Kagome asked.

"Kagome?" Totosai tilted his head at her questioningly. Kagome nodded. "Okay, then what is it that you need?"

"I'd like you to forge me a sword. I've already mastered my miko abilities and I want to try something new." Totosai nodded.

"What would you like it to be made of?"

"Oh...um...my fang, I guess." Kagome said slowly. "Yes, that works." Totosai nodded again and a few minutes later he was holding one of Kagome's fangs in his hand.

"How long will this take?" Kagome asked.

"Not long. It should only take a few hours."

"We will return later." Sesshomaru declared.

Kagome smiled at Totosai before turning around and following Sesshomaru out of the cave. Sesshomaru once again caught Kagome off guard when he repeated his previous action of wrapping his arm around her waist and leaping into the sky. He set Kagome down and she glared at him before taking her seat behind the taiyokai once more.

Totosai watched from the mouth of the cave as they flew off, silently nodding to himself. _'I always knew that that girl would do the impossible one of these days.' _he thought, scratching his head. He turned around and walked back into the cave to get to work on Kagome's sword. He already knew what the ultimate attack would be.

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"Do you want to come, too?" Kagome asked. Sesshomaru looked at Kagome, who was sitting on the lip of the well. He knew that InuYasha could get through the well, but was it possible that he was also able? Kagome seemed to read his mind and stood up.

"Since you and InuYasha are half-brothers, there should be no reason that you can't get through, but just in case..." Kagome raised her hand to her mouth and bit one of her fingers, just hard enough to draw blood. She then took hold of Sesshomaru's left hand and smeared it on his palm. Kagome repeated this process on his other hand and forehead before standing back and studying the bewildered taiyokai standing before her.

"Okay, that should do it! You should be able to get through the well." Kagome declared proudly. "I am brilliant, if I do say so myself. Now come on. You can jump first to see if it worked." Sesshomaru nodded, still confused, but jumped into the well, anyway. He was surrounded by a warm blue light. When his feet touched solid ground once more, Sesshomaru noticed that he was no longer outdoors. There was a roof over the well. A few seconds later Kagome appeared beside him.

"It worked!" she exclaimed hapilly. She turned to Sesshomaru and giggled. He looked strange with a red streak across his forehead. Kagome giggled again, licking her thumb before she reached up to wipe the blood off. Sesshomaru frowned slightly.

"Is this absolutely neccessary?"

"Yes. You looked ridiculous." Kagome said, turning around to climb up the ladder that she had placed there ages before.

_'He could have done that himself.'_ her concsience told her. Kagome blushed slightly and continued to climb.

When she reached the top, Sesshomaru jumped up behind her and followed her to the door of the well house. Kagome turned around and stared at him warningly.

"This time is full of pollution and a lot of other strange things that may smell bad to you. Just for the record, there are no demons here, just humans." Kagome warned. "You cannot kill _any_ of them, especially my family. Watch out for my grandfather 'cause he's a little nuts and Sota is only ten, so he will ask a lot of questions. My mother is just as curious, so just try to tollerate it, okay?" Sesshomaru nodded and Kagome braced herself before opening the door.

The sudden impact of the different smells caught Kagome by suprise, causing her to loose her balance and fall backwards into Sesshomaru. Sesshomaru stood firm, even after Kagome fell into him. She was right. The different scents and smells were _very_ unpleasent and he fought to keep himself from covering his nose.

Kagome recovered her balance and quickly made her way to the front door. She opened it and pulled Sesshomaru into the house before slamming the door. Sesshomaru watched as Kagome inhaled deeply and smiled.

"That's better." she sighed. "Mom, Sota, Grandpa! I'm home! I brought company!"

Sota suddenly appeared at the top of the stairs and stared down at his sister. His eyes then lit up with excitement and he rushed down, almost tripping in the process.

"Whoa! Kagome, you look really cool!" he exclaimed. Kagome flinched and brought her hand to her ear. Sota didn't seem to notice. "Who's your friend?"

"This is Sesshomaru, InuYasha's full-blooded youkai half-brother." Kagome announced. She looked around the living room. "Sota, where is Mom?"

"I think she's in the shower." Sota said. "Why?"

"Do I have to have a reason to see my mother?" Kagome snapped. Sota caught a glimpse of her fangs and he became slightly afraid. Kagome sighed. "I'm going upstairs to see mom. Sota try not to get on Sesshomaru's nerves. Sesshomaru, remember, you promised." Sesshomaru nodded.

"So you're InuYasha's brother?"

"Half-brother." Sesshomaru corrected. Sota frowned.

"Why does it matter? Do you not like InuYasha or something? Did he steal your toys when you guys were little? Did he-"

"Is there a point to this interrogation?"

"Wow...you really _don't_ like him, do you? Why not?" Sota asked.

"That is none of you're buisness."

"Sesshomaru, you're supposed to be nice to him." Kagome scolded as she walked down the stairs. "My mom should be down in a few minutes. Sota, stop interrogating Sesshomaru." Sota crossed his arms and huffed, then went to watch the television.

Sota turned on the history channel. Ever since Kagome had started traveling to the past, he always kept up to date on what was going on, even if it was a few hundred years ahead. He gaped at the screen when he saw...

"Hey, Sesshomaru! You're on the tv! You're on it, too, Kagome!" he called. "This is so cool! My sister is on the television! We're gonna be famous!"

"Sota, what are you talking about? I'm not on...what the hell?" Kagome gasped. He wasn't lying. Kagome continued watching the documentary for a few more minutes before she spoke again.

"Uhh...apparently I start a war between the west and the south. What could I _possibly_ do to start a war?"

"You are a woman. You have your ways." Sesshomaru said. Kagome glared at him.

"Kagome, are you sure this guy is good? He doesn't seem very nice to me." Sota muttered.

"He's a good guy...I think..."

"You _think_?"

"I'm just kidding, Sota. He's a good guy, for sure." Kagome reassured him. "He's the other guy that's helping us defeat Naraku."

"Well, I guess now you have to worry about this Naraku guy _and_ a war. You're such a pain in the butt, Kagome." Sota teased.

"Hey!"

"Sota, stop teasing your sister." his mother said as she came down the stairs. She looked at Kagome and smiled. "I heard Sota saying you looked cool. Now I can see why, Kagome. What happened?"

"It's a long story. I'll tell you later." Kagome said. "Mom, this is Sesshomaru, and Sesshomaru, mom!" Kagome's mother smiled again.

"Hello, my name is Aoi. Kagome has...oh, wow! Is that thing _real_?" Kagome sighed and placed a hand on Aoi's shoulder, firmly holding her back.

"Mom, leave Sesshomaru alone. You're going to end up scaring him away or something. Besides, you already tried to pull of InuYasha's ears, so you already had your fun."

"Yup." Sota agreed.

"C'mon, Sesshomaru. I'll show you my room." Kagome said, leading Sesshomaru up the stairs. She closed the door behind him and sat down on her bed.

"Gomen. I knew she would do that." Kagome said. "Sometimes I think even Sota is more mature than she is. But, yeah, that's my family for you."

"Where is your father?" Sesshomaru inquired. Kagome faltered.

"Uhh...I don't have one. He died shortly after Sota was born." Kagome explained quietly. "I really don't have very many memories of him, actually. All I have is this photograph." Kagome pointed to a photo that she kept on her bedside table. It showed a small girl holding a baby with their parents standing behind her. The little girl was beaming at the baby she held.

Kagome picked up the picture and handed it to Sesshomaru. Sesshomaru studied the old picture carefully, taking notice to the fact that it looked extremely worn out and a little faded as well.

"Well, while you look at that, I'm just going to clean out my closet." Kagome announced. "I haven't had time yet to get rid of all my old uniforms."

"Do you mean that exceedingly revealing kimono that you used to wear all of the time?"

"It wasn't that revealing." Kagome defended.

"If it wasn't then why was my pathetic half-brother always staring at your legs when he wasn't busy doing something else?" Kagome blushed and continued to chuck all of her old outfits into her trash can with renewed vigor. "Now I can understand why."

Kagome almost fell over when she heard that, so she quickly grasped the top of her closet door and gaped at the taiyokai sitting on her bed. Sesshomaru smirked and stared into Kagome's ice blue orbs. _'He's messing with me!' _Kagome thought. She stuck her tongue out at him and continued what she was doing.

Kagome pulled the last uniform out of the back of her closet. This one was ripped and torn and it was covered in grass, mud, and something that looked a lot like blood.

"Why do I still have this?" Kagome asked herself. "Oh, yeah. This one was new and then I went and ruined it. I didn't throw it away because Mom started checking the trash when I returned. But now I _can_ throw it away!"

Sesshomaru watched Kagome as she talked to herself and examined the destroyed outfit she was holding.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say that you were crazy." Sesshomaru told her. "But since I know it's you, I know that you always act like that."

"Hey! You have to be nice to me!" Kagome warned. "I _could_ just make you go downstairs with my mother and Sota."

"Kagome!" Aoi called. "Telephone!"

"Who is it?"

"It's Yuka!"

"Um...Sesshomaru, stay." Kagome ordered as she ran out the door and down the stairs. Sesshomaru, despite direct orders to stay put, followed her into the living room.

"Hi, Yuka."

"Oh my gosh, Kagome. How's your cut healing up? Your grandfather told us that you had surgery to remove a tumor." Yuka said.

"It's fine." _'Oh, gramps. Why can't it ever just be a cold or the flu?' _

"So, do you think you're okay enough to come see a movie?"

"Uhh...I don't know. If I move around too much it starts to bleed again, so that may not be a good idea." Kagome said quickly.

"Oh, that's too bad. We'll come see you then!"

"No! Uhh...I mean, I won't be here." Kagome said guiltily. "I have to go back to the hospital so they can make sure its healing alright. Sorry."

"Oh, okay. Hope you get better soon, Kagome. Sayonara." Kagome hung up the phone and crossed her arms.

"He told them I had to get a tumor removed?!" Kagome gasped. "Why can't he just tell them I'm sick with a stomach virus or something?!"

"It's not your grandfather's fault that your friends are easily tricked, Kagome." Aoi said. "You're lucky that he even spends his time thinking up excuses for you."

"Indeed."

"Gah! Sesshomaru, I told you to stay upstairs!" Kagome scolded. "Gramps could be home at any minute! You have to be out of sight! I swear, he carries around those sutras with him everywhere lately. Sure, they don't work, but they're still irritating. Speaking of which, oh man, now _I_ have to deal with them."

"Kagome, your grandfather believes very much in the old traditions." Aoi said to Kagome. "It's best not to let him know that they don't work."

"Oh, they work, but not for Gramps." Kagome scoffed. "He doesn't do it right, so they never do what they're supposed to do. Come to think of it, they don't do anything at all."

"Don't worry, Kagome. Your grandfather is at a convention. He won't be back for a few days." Aoi informed her. "He was going to take you, but you weren't here and he was going to miss his plane. I don't think you wanted to go anyway, did you?"

"No way." Kagome refused. "I'm gonna go watch tv, now. Are you coming, Sesshomaru?" Sesshomaru nodded and followed Kagome into the living room and sat on the couch next to Sota. Kagome quickly snatched the remote from her brother.

"Alright, squirt, my turn." Kagome said, walking around the side to on the arm of the couch.

"Hey, Kagome! I was watching that!" Sota protested. He got up and stomped up the stairs, slamming his door behind him. Kagome flipped through the channels, every once in a while telling the channel to shut up.

"Oh, I love this show!" Kagome squealed, sliding off the arm of the couch. "The theme song is one of my favorite parts, and we got it just in time!"

_Tattoo Kiss_

_hajimari wa aka to kuro no Passion_

_toki ni urahara na kokoro wo tayori ni_

_Tattoo Kiss_

_kiri fuda wa mirai wo kaeru Mission_

_koi ni aimai na kotae wa iranai_

_arienai genjitsu_

_mienai FURI shite mo Bet_

_egatai shinjitsu_

_Can U feel me now?_

_nesshi yasui jibun ni Say what?_

_tomadou ii bu_

_Dreamin' samenai yume_

_ochiteku sadame_

_Don't stop lovin'_

_Can't stop lovin' U_

_YA YA YA..._

_Believe in U_

_hikikae ni subete ushinatte mo_

_Still lovin'_

_Can't stop lovin' U_

_NO NO NO..._

_Tattoo Kiss_

"What is it?"

"It's called Kaleido Star. This is the second season, I believe." Kagome said thoughtfully. "It's been so long since I was able to watch it!"

So, Kagome and Sesshomaru ended up watching Kaleido Star for around two hours until Kagome looked at the clock.

"Wow, that was fast." she muttered. "Okay, it's time to go. We still have to go back to Totosai's. Sorry you didn't get to see more, Sesshomaru, but there really wasn't very much time. You can wait at the door while I say goodbye to Mom and Sota, okay?"

Sesshomaru nodded and Kagome walked into the kitchen. She came back a few minutes later with a couple of chocolate bars and juice pouches.

"Shippo likes these, so I figured that Rin might, as well." Kagome said. "Let's go, and remember, brace yourself." Kagome opened the door and covered her nose with her sleeve. Sesshomaru was tempted to do the same, but fought the urge in order to keep a dignified look.

Kagome shoved Sesshomaru into the well house and slammed the door behind her, coughing.

"Oh, kami, that smells bad." she commented. "Okay, I don't feel like doing it the other way, so we're going to try something different." Kagome removed the Shikon no Tama from around her neck and wraped it once around her wrist and Sesshomaru's as well. They jumped into the well and were engulfed in warm, blue light. When Kagome's feet met firm ground, she leapt out of the well and took a deep breath of the clean feudal air.

"Okay, let's get going now. Maybe we can make it to Totosai's before it starts getting dark."

"I doubt we could, Kagome." Sesshomaru said. He formed his cloud beneath his feet. Kagome, glad he didn't try to scare her again, hopped on and once again took her seat, leaning against Sesshomaru's leg. Sesshomaru, suprising even himself, didn't mind, but was instead waiting for her to do this. The sides of his mouth curled up slightly into a small smile, a smile unseen by all living creatures-all living creatures except one.

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"This is an interesting development, indeed." a dark figure said. He turned away from the young girl and her mirror and smirked. "Now I have a way to bring down the great Sesshomaru. Kanna, you are dismissed. Send Kurayami in. I finally have use for her."

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AR: Ya know, this would be a perfect place to stop...

K: No! Continue! You made them wait forever, so you have to keep going!

AR: sigh Fine.

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"Yes, Naraku." Kanna calmly walked out of the chamber. A few seconds later a young demoness strolled into the room. She had long black hair and blood red eyes that were shaded with green. The dark blue stripe under each of her eyes gave her a dark look, but the red spider on her forehead did nothing to get rid of the sinister look that she held in her beautiful face.

"Kurayami, it is time to earn your keep..."

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"Totosai?"

"You've returned. Your weapon is ready, young lady." Totosai stated. He held out a finely crafted (of course, it's Totosai!) sword, which Kagome took in silent awe. The hilt was wrapped in ice blue silk that sparkled in the moonlight. Kagome removed the blade from its sheath and admired the intricately carved dragon that wound around it. She then took notice of the large sapphire embedded just above the point where the blade and hilt met and also in the dragon's forehead. It glowed and pulsed with Kagome's heartbeat as she held the deadly katana.

"The sapphires are to concentrate your powers so that you can use them in your attacks with less effort." Totosai explained.

"What are the attacks?" Kagome asked excitedly.

"One of the lesser attacks of this particular sword is the Shattered Soul." Totosai answered. "The objective of this attack is to corrupt and confuse the soul of the enemy so that they become immobile. This is for weaker single enemies only. The other small attack, although more useful than Shattered Soul, is Blue Pheonix, which surrounds _all_ opponents within 200 meters of you in flames with heat equivalent to that of molten rock. Hurts very badly, if I do say so myself. Although, it is able to discern friend from foe, so your allies are safe from any harm."

"That sounds useful." Kagome mused. "What's the ultimate attack?"

"This sword's ultimate attack can only be used by you, for it takes the power of an expierienced miko to execute." Totosai warned. "Any others who try are likely to die instantly. It is called Fallen Angel's Requiem. What it is meant to do is revive any fallen comrade, while taking the life of the one who killed them in the first place. Every time this attack is used, it will grow stronger, therefor, it will cover a wider area of ground. However, this attack is not to be used lightly. It takes a high energy toll on the user, so it is best used as a last resort."

"Thank you, Totosai." Kagome said gratefully. "I will make sure to keep Rekuiemu safe."

"That's a good idea." Kagome smiled put and the sword back in its sheath and tying it to her obi.

"Come, Kagome. We need to get back to the castle now." Sesshomaru said. The miko turned around and nodded, following Sesshomaru back out into the clear night.

Totosai once again watched as they flew off and he shook his head, telling himself that he was hallucinating. But it looked like Sesshomaru was warming up to the young girl, yes it looked very much like that was the case.

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AR: Yay! I'm done with chapter eleven! What did you guys think? Did y'all like it?

K: I liked it, AR.

R: Rin liked it, too, Angel-sama.

Y: Why don't I get a cool sword, Requiem?

AR: Is somebody jealous? Don't worry, Yukana. You'll get something.

Se: It's a good thing you were smart enough to add in that the sword can differentiate friend from foe. I didn't expect you to catch that.

AR: Hey, watch it, buddy. There are a whole bunch of things that I could do to you, and trust me, it won't be pleasent-well, at least for you. It'll be fun for me!

S: Requiem, don't threaten Sesshomaru. Sesshomaru, don't insult AR.

IY: What are you, their mom?

S: And InuYasha, shut up.

Ka: Doodle, why do you insist on being an idiot?

IY: Aren't you supposed to be at home with your father and Amira/Miyuki?

Ka: They came with me, Mr. Blind Bat. See? points to family

IY: Feh.

AR: Well, these people are starting to argue, so I'm going to close this up. Until next chapter!

Press this button right here!

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	12. Enemies

AR: Hi, y'all! I'm back again with another chapter comin' at 'ya! I was thinking that I just start doin' absolutely ridiculous song quotes from now on, like somthin' from Hannah Montana or something. OH! Maybe even High School Musical! That would freak some people out...hehehe...

IY: You are psychotic, AR.

AR: Well, maybe I am, but I don't care what you think! You're an idiot anyway.

K: Requiem, be nice!

Ka: Yeah, Doodle hasn't done anything to deserve that yet. Wait 'till he does and then you can call him an idiot!

AR: Fine. I'm watching you, InuYasha.

IY: Feh.

AR: I've also come up with the theory that all InuYasha characters have Xenosaga counterparts! For example, Kagome's counterpart is Miyuki, and Rin's is MOMO. Kanna may be bad, but her personality counterpart is KOS-MOS. That leaves Sesshomaru with Ziggy, InuYasha with Jr., Kagura with Pellegri, Naraku with Albedo, Sango with Shion, and Shippo with the young Shion or MOMO. The closest we can get with a counterpart for Miroku would be chaos, save for the fact that Miroku is a hentai.

IY: Blah, blah, blah...

AR: And then there is the theory that all InuYasha characters have counterparts in-

IY: Shut up, would 'ya? We don't care about your stupid theories!

AR: You better watch it InuYasha! Do you remember how much power a writer holds over his/her characters?

IY: Feh.

R: Doodle-chan! Sesshomaru-sama said that you have to take Rin to school today!

IY: Get away from me, you little squirt! I'm not taking you anywhere!

K: Now you can call him an idiot.

Y: That didn't take very long.

AR: Ah, Kagome, you can deal with it. I don't feel like it anymore.

K: Hey! You are so lazy sometimes, you know that?

AR: Yup. And I'm proud of it, too.

Kagome: sigh InuYasha, osuwari.

IY: Gah! slam

K: Be nice to Rin. She has never done anything to you.

IY: unsconcious

K: Whoops...oh, well. Maybe you should get on with the story until poor InuYasha wakes up, AR. We can't have him miss out on our stupid skits.

AR: Hey! They are not stupid! They're...

Se: Stupid.

AR: Shut up, Sesshomaru! Fine. Here you go' y'all. At least the length of the last one makes up for the shortness of this one. Anyway, I don't own InuYasha. Y'all should know that. I will reiterate the fact that I do own Yukana, Kaori, Sakurako, Kiri, Yue, and Amira/Miyuki!

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_But you don't need my pictures on your wall_

_You say you need no one_

_And you don't need my secret midnight call_

_I guess you need no one_

_Is anybody waiting at home for you_

_Cause it's time that will tell if it's heaven if it's hell or if it's_

_Anybody waiting at home for you_

_Cause it's time that will tell this tale _

_(Hopeless: Train)_

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Don't Fall Away

Chapter Twelve: Enemies

The next day passed quickly. Kagome began to carry her sword everywhere: a habbit she had picked up from Sesshomaru and InuYasha. Now that Kagome had a weapon to train with, there was no reason that she couldn't begin her training when the ball was over, but she was also nervous. If she was no good at it, then the sword was a total waste. Sure, it looked nice, but why have a sword just sitting around gathering dust? It would be a waste of a trip, not to mention the scares she got from Sesshomaru on the trip.

"What'cha thinkin' 'bout?" Yukana asked, practically skipping into the room. "Can I see your sword, Kagome?! Sesshomaru told me you named it Rekuiemu. Why did you pick that name?" Kagome took her sword out of its sheath and handed it to Yukana.

"I guess I named it after it's best attack, sort of." Kagome answered. "Rekuiemu just sounded like it fit. I mean, the ultimate attack is Fallen Angel's Requiem, so I guess the fact that the name means 'requiem' isn't completely pointless."

"Yeah, it makes sense, but it's really obvious." Yukana said. "But, then again, knowing me, if it were mine I probably would have named it Tenshi! So Rekuiemu is so much better!"

"Uhh...thanks?" Yukana set the sword on the bed and turned around and started to leave.

"Oh, yeah! I almost forgot. Sesshomaru wants you to come to his study." Yukana declared. "I think it has something to do with being fitted for your kimono for the ball, since you didn't get a chance to do it yesterday."

"Oh, okay." Kagome returned Rekuiemu to its sheath and followed Yukana out of the room. She followed her through a few halls until Yukana stopped.

"This is where I leave you."

"Yukana, you make it sound like a life or death situation."

"Yeah, I know, 'cause it is." Yukana teased. "I'm just kidding. I have things to do to get ready for the ball myself, so you're on your own, now." Yukana smiled brightly and pranced away. Kagome shook her head and continued down the hall. Suprisingly, there was somebody leaning over something on the floor when she turned the corner. The girl looked up. It was Sakurako.

"What would an accomplished miko like yourself need to carry a sword for, Kagome-sensei?" she asked shrewdly. Kagome frowned.

"That is my own buisness. Although, I appriciate the compliment, Sakurako. Right now, however, I don't have time for meaningless chit chat." Kagome said coolly. "I am busy at this moment, but feel free to seek me out if you require any assistance in your studies before our first lesson." Sakurako's pale green eyes flashed with insult.

"Are you insinuating that I of all people need help?" she snapped. Kagome's first impression of this girl was turning out to be correct. She struggled to keep her temper in check before she hurt the poor girl.

"No person or demon is infallible _or_ omniscient, Sakurako." Kagome said harshly, her eyes flashing red. "You'd do well to remember that. That curse you were working on before I got here will not work on anyone. You are inexperienced at that particular type, so you would never be able to tell if you were doing it wrong. Now, I would like my hair clip back, if you don't mind." Sakurako glared at Kagome as she dropped the clip into her outstretched hand and stormed away.

Kagome entered the study a few minutes later. Sesshomaru saw the anger radiating in her aura and he was able to smell it even before she walked in the door. He inwardly sighed.

"What is it now?" Kagome took a deep breath and gained a small amount of her previous composure before she answered his question, but her anger was still apparent.

"I reserve the right to dismiss Sakurako when I feel that she has crossed certain lines that are not to be crossed with me." Kagome declared, as calmly as she could manage.

"What has she done this time?"

"The girl tried to curse me!" Kagome exclaimed. "Sure, it wouldn't have worked, but she still tried to do it! Although., she did get really pissed when I told her that she was doing it wrong. I'd like to give her a piece of-"

"Enough. If you feel the need to remove her from her duties, so be it, but it would not be a wise idea to wound her physically." Sesshomaru advised. "At least not without a warning first."

"I'm not in the mood for jokes right now, Sesshomaru." Kagome snapped. "What did you need?"

"We will discuss Sakurako at a later date. As Yukana has most likely already informed you, you will need your kimono fitted before we depart for Lord Daijirou's castle."

"Fine."

"Naiya will be up in a few moments." Sesshomaru told her. "I trust that you know how to act in public. This means be polite, courteous, and respectful, especially to the other lords. Understood?" Kagome nodded.

A few minutes later, Naiya had arrived with a bundle of silk in her arms.

"Good afternoon, Sesshomaru-sama." she greeted, bowing. "The kimono for Lady Kagome is ready, there is only the fitting left to be done. We used the taijiya for the measurements, but they may be different sizes." Sesshomaru nodded and left Naiya and Kagome in the study.

"Lady Kagome you will need to remove your kimono, please."

"Uhh...what?"

"I said that you will need to remove your kimono." Naiya repeated. "After you have finished, you are to put on this one." She held up a beautiful floor-length sky blue kimono with soft pink sakura flowers and light green leaves and a matching obi. The sleeves flared out at the bottom and reached to about her knees.

"Oh, okay. Turn around for a minute, okay?" Naiya complied and Kagome removed her kimono and put on the other one. After she had tied the obi, she gave the other girl permission to turn around again.

"You look wonderful, Lady Kagome."

"Okay, you don't have to call me that. It's irritating." Kagome said.

"Well, Kagome, the good news is that you and Sango are the same size and the kimono doesn't have to be altered. The bad news is that the kimono fits perfectly, meaning that you are going to have a lot of eyes on you at the ball." Naiya joked. Kagome giggled.

"Well, I guess we're done here." Kagome said. Naiya nodded, picked up her things, and left. Kagome also left after she had put her other outfit back on. She started to walk back toward her room when she realized that she had forgotten Rekuiemu in Sesshomaru's study. Kagome quickly turned around and ran back towards the room that she had just left.

When she got there she knocked on the door, making sure that Sesshomaru wasn't in there. When she heard no answer, she slowly opened the door. The sight made her extremely angry. Sakurako was standing in the middle of the room with Kagome's sword in her hands. She had a smug smile on her face as she watched Kagome enter the room.

"Sakurako, I do not want to hurt you, but if you force me into it, I will not hesitate to remove your hands." Kagome threatened. "Return my weapon at once."

"Hmm...nah, I think I'll keep it." Sakurako mocked.

"Don't test me." Kagome warned. "You won't like the score." Kagome spun around and sent a ring of blue fire into the offending being. Sakurako was thrown backwards into the wall behind Sesshomaru's desk.

Kagome walked forward and picked up her kimono and Rekuiemu, which Sakurako had dropped when she was thrown back.

"If you are going to chalenge me, at least make an effort." And with that, Kagome walked out the door, leaving the unconscious Sakurako on the floor. She called over a servant on her way to her room.

"Sakurako, the miko-in-training, is in Sesshomaru-sama's study and will need medical attention." The servant nodded and rushed into the study.

Kagome continued to walk and didn't even look back. She met up with Sesshomaru some time later and tried to avoid a conversation. Sesshomaru, however, wouldn't have it.

"I heard all of the noise, Kagome." he informed her. "I would like it if you would refrain from fighting in my castle."

"I warned her." Kagome said simply, shrugging. "She didn't listen. She insisted on a fight and I gave it to her. It's too bad that she didn't put more effort into it, though."

"After your stay here, it would be a miracle if my castle stayed in one piece."

"Is that a joke, Sesshomaru, or are you testing me as well?" Kagome teased. "Well I'm not going to tear apart you castle. The kimono, by the way, didn't need any adjustments." Sesshomaru nodded.

"Fine. Get all of your friends together and we can leave tonight." Sesshomaru instructed. "I will find Rin, Yukana, and InuYasha."

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"It seems that they are leaving a bit earlier than we had anticipated." Naraku observed. "No matter, the plan can wait. Kurayami, until then, I have something else for you to do."

"Does it have anything to do with you sick fantasies, Naraku?" Kurayami spat. She glared at Naraku defiantly. Naraku quickly had her up by her neck.

"I may not have your heart in my possession, wench, but that does not mean that I can't torture you." Naraku threatened. "I am the only reason that you are still alive, so you owe me your life. Until your debt is repaid, you are mine!"

Kagura watched the scene unfold in front of her eyes. Kurayami had said exactly what was on her mind, and she always seemed to do just that. She was lucky to have a heart that beat in her chest and not in Naraku's body. Kagura hated her for that, but there was also a hint of admiration for her, for the fact that Kurayami said what she herself was too afraid to say, even though she could still end up dead in the morning.

"As far as I am concerned, you ruined my life." Kurayami retorted. "I owe you _nothing_. And your stupid mark on my forehead is a constant reminder of my grief and depression. I can tell you that Kagura feels the exact same way. Even Kanna is tired of your bossiness and stupidity. I'd stake my life on that. Not to mention that you have also taken advantage of the dead miko's hatred for that hanyou, the hatred that you forced upon her. You are nothing. You speak of your kindness to others that you 'let them live' when I have yet to see that gift. This is not living. The day I died was when you supposedly saved me from the demons that you set upon my village. And I can tell you _master_ that you _will_ meet your end very soon, and that it will be by the very same people who's lives you ruined for your own personal game. I will play a role in that demise that Japan seems to so dearly want to inflict upon you."

"Those are bold words for a woman who could die at any moment." Naraku said coldly.

"You may have my body, Naraku, but you do not posess my soul." Naraku dropped the daring young demoness. She stood up, still glaring at him. Naraku flipped her off and left the chamber.

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Kagome, Miroku, Shippo, and Sango met up with Sesshomaru and the others outside of the castle around an hour later. Sesshomaru had been able to make InuYasha change his previous attire in favor of something more formal.

"InuYasha, you changed!" Kagome said loudly.

"Don't remind me."

"What's wrong with you? You weren't so moody the other day." Kagome inquired.

"I don't want to go to this ball." InuYasha complained. "I don't know any of those people anymore!"

"InuYasha, shut up." Kagome ordered. "I would say 'it', but since you're clean for the time being, I will refrain from doing so." (and yes, people I meant to use 'it'.)

While Kagome was pretty much scolding InuYasha, Miroku and Sesshomaru had started to pack up the supplies. There weren't very many, only a few cases that contained some extra changes of clothing. Sango would bet that one of the cases was filled with clothing for InuYasha, just in case.

"Kagome, let him be." Miroku said. "It is in InuYasha's nature to be a little immature and to complain."

"Put a sock in it, Miroku!"

"Kagome-chan, Rin wants to play a game."

"Rin, we don't have time for a game right now." Kagome said. "And when you refer to yourself, you need to say 'I' instead of 'Rin'. Okay?"

"Okay! Rin wants...uhh, I want to know where Shippo-chan is!"

"Rin, we don't have time for a game. I'm sorry, but we have to go like now." Kagome told her. She lifted her up and sat her on Ah-Un, with InuYasha, Shippo and Yukana. She watched Kirara transform and Sango and Miroku climbed on. Kagome knew that she would end up riding with Sesshomaru again, so she didn't bother to get on. Sesshomaru walked to the front of the party and called Kagome over. Kagome did as she was told and soon they were off to the palace of the east.

They arrived in the eastern castle's courtyard around four hours later. Rin and Shippo had long since fallen asleep, along with Yukana and Sango. During the long journey, Kagome had passed the time by plucking out strands of her long hair and letting them fly away. The majority of them strangely ended up hitting InuYasha in the face.

Kagome woke up the children and Yukana and Sango. They all slid off of their rides and almost fell over from jell-o legs. When InuYasha had regained the strength in his legs, he bagan to slowly pick off strands of midnight blue hair that had flown into his face and into his own hair and clothes. Kagome giggled and grinned at him, waving hello.

Kagome walked up to Sesshomaru, who was watching the doors intently.

"What are you doing, Sesshomaru?" Kagome asked.

"It is tradition to wait in the courtyard of any lord's home that you are visiting until they come out themselves and invite you in." Sesshomaru explained. "Lord Daijirou and Lady Katara are on their way."

"Oh, okay."

Moments later, a handsome demon strolled confidently out of the castle, followed by a beautiful demoness. They were both of the neko breed. Lord Daijirou had short black hair, piercing silver eyes, and one ice blue stripe under each of his eyes and an ice blue six point star on his forehead. He was handsome, almost as handsome as Sesshomaru. Lady Katara had ice blue eyes, long medium brown hair, two slightly wavy seafoam green stripes under her eyes, and a deep blue water drop on her forehead that was barely visible under her bangs.

"Hello, Sesshomaru! Long time no see!" Lord Daijirou greeted enthusiasticly, shaking his hand with gusto. "Who is this that you have with you?" Daijirou shifted his gaze to look at Kagome, who glanced at Sesshomaru. Sesshomaru nodded.

"My name is Kagome. It is an honor to meet you, Lord Daijirou." Kagome said politely.

"It's very nice to meet you as well, miss Kagome. You sure did bring a lot of guests with you, Sesshomaru." he observed.

"Sango, Miroku, and Shippo are my friends. Rin is here to keep Shippo company so he doesn't get himself into trouble." Kagome explained.

"One of your friends is a taijiya, and the other a monk. How did you manage to accomplish that?" Daijirou inquired. Kagome smiled weekly.

"It's kind of a long story." Kagome said sheepishly. Yukana walked up beside her and yawned.

"I forgot how long it takes to get here from the western castle." she stated.

"Yukana, where have you been all this time? I haven't seen you in years!"

"I was actually helping in the fight against Naraku. I was centered in a secret villaged in the southern lands." Yukana said. "I came across Sesshomaru and Kagome as they were passing by a few weeks ago. And a few days after I returned to the castle, InuYasha and the rest of Kagome's friends showed up."

"InuYasha is here as well?" Daijirou asked. Yukana pointed behind her to where InuYasha was standing beside Ah-Un. InuYasha glared at Yukana and moved to stand next to Kagome.

"I haven't seen you since you were a child." Daijirou said. "You've grown so much since then."

"Feh."

"InuYasha, be nice. Don't make me say 'it'." Kagome warned. InuYasha crossed his arms in the sleeves of his haori and didn't say anything. "Good boy."

"Say what?"

"Don't ask. That's another long story." Kagome said.

"Oh, my! What are we doing standing outside? Come in, all of you." Daijirou said warmly. "Katara, would you please find Tanrei and have her take Ah-Un and the fire neko to the stables?"

"Hai. I will return shortly." Katara turned to enter the castle but halted when Sango spoke.

"Not to be rude or anything, but Kirara stays with me." she said. Kirara was suddenly surrounded in flames. When they died down, there was a small cat in her place.

"Oh, I apologize." Sango smiled and waved it away.

"Well, I guess just Ah-Un then." Daijirou joked. Katara nodded and entered the castle. "Come in, Tanrei will show you all to your rooms when she returns from the stables."

Daijirou led the party into the castle and into the meeting hall. Kagome looked around, noting that the eastern castle was much smaller than Sesshomaru's, but it was still very elegant. A few minutes later, Lady Katara returned with Tanrei and stood next to her mate.

"Welcome. Let me show you to your rooms." Tanrei said, motioning for them to follow her.

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AR: Well, that's all y'all are gonna get for now 'cause I'm tired.

IY: wakes up

K: Rise and shine, InuYasha! Time to get up!

IY: I wouldn't need to wake up if you hadn't used that stupid spell!

K: Do you want me to do it again?

AR: Kagome, leave the poor puppy alone. Knocking him out once is enough until tomorrow.

IY: Gee, thanks.

AR: Well, y'all better clear out, 'cause I wanna go to bed.

K: Fine.

All: By AR.

AR: 'Night y'all! Dasvidanya!

Press this button to review!

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	13. The Ball

AR: Howdy y'all! I'm back with another chapter comin' at 'ya! So, how do y'all like the story so far?

Naraku: I think it's lame.

IY: Hey! Who invited that moron?! I thought that this was good people only!

AR: I didn't invite him...

All: *gasp* KIKYO!

Y: *looks away from tv* Maybe she was mad about the other day, when Sango pretty much kicked her out of the beginning skit. *returns attention to the tv*

AR: It's a possibility. I suppose it isn't a good idea to anger a zombie, 'cause if you don't watch your back she might just invite your mortal enemy into your house. I don't know about you people, but I'll tell you something: I definitely don't want to wake up with a sword in my chest.

K: Yeah, I agree with you there, Requiem. Although, I have come close to doing just that a few times. Yup, it ain't too pleasent.

N: *slips out while nobody is paying attention*

Y: No! C'mon, MOMO, don't die! KOS-MOS, do something!!!

AR: Yukana, what in the world are you doing? Hey! Is that mine!

Y: Uhh...

S: I'll kill her! Where is she?!

AR: Sango, chill. Haven't we already passed by that topic? Geez, where is Kaori when you need her?

Ka: I'm right here, AR. *waves from corner* Are you going to put me back into the story anytime soon?

AR: What is with you people? You're all, like, fighting so hard to get into my fanfiction. I feel so loved! Hey! Guess what people!

All: What?

AR: Yukana, do you know where I got the basic concept for your personality?

Y: Uh...no.

AR: From my best friend! Her name is Devin. Don't you feel special?

IY: See? I told all of you before, but I'll say it again; Archangel's Requiem is psychotic.

K: Wow...I didn't know that you knew a word that big, InuYasha.

IY: What is that supposed to mean?!

Se: It means that the miko thinks you are stupid.

All: *nods*

K: Hey, Dust Bunny, I have a name, you know! I'll start calling you by your given name as soon as you have enough decency to call me by mine!

IY: Finally! Somebody put that ass hole in his place!

Se: Are you willing to come over here and say that, half-breed?

AR: Hey, hey, hey! There will be absolutely _**no**_ fighting in my room! If you guys wanna go kill each other, show me some respect and do it outside!

From living room: Angel, I'm home!

AR: Oh, no! Quick! Everybody into the closet!

K: But AR, we won't all fit.

AR: Fine. You and Sesshomaru can hide under the bed. Okay, places everybody! Hurry!

All: *hides*

*door opens*

mother: Angel, what is going on in here? I could have sworn I heard at least ten other people in here.

AR: Uhh...you were just imagining things, oka-san. Look around: nobody!

mother: You're not a very good liar, Angel. There weren't any _**boys**_ in here, were there?

AR: That's insulting! You probably heard sound effects from my computer.

mother: Fine. Okay, Angel, I have to go shopping. Do you need anything?

AR: Yeah! I need some more ramen noodles.

mother: But, I bought a whole new pack two days ago.

AR: I'm a growing girl, oka-san! I need lots of food! We like the beef kind.

mother: We?

AR: When kids are hungry, it's like there are two of them! Now, off you go! I'm finishing my homework!

mother: Yeah, right...homework... *leaves, muttering to herself* Since when did she start doing her homework?

AR: *listens until car pulls out of driveway* Okay, y'all can come out now.

IY: It's about time!

K: How are you able to keep the fact that you have at least ten people at a time in your bedroom every day a secret?

AR: I have my ways.

M: Yes, Angel-sama appears to be very smart, so it would be easy for her to hide that.

AR: What have I told you, Miroku? I told you not to call me that! Oh, and just for the record, flattery doesn't work on me. It was a nice try, though.

M: *sigh*

AR: How many of you people wanna know what I was watching last night?

Se: It doesn't matter what we say. Knowing you, you would just tell everybody anyway.

AR: Right! But, anyway, I was watching Walk the Line! YAY! And yes, I do like Johnny Cash, 'cause his music is cool. I like some old people, but I have to say, he's not too pleasing to the eyes. All of the people laughed at me when I told them that it looked like somebody hit him in the face with a shovel.

Y: *looks away from the tv -playing Xenosaga Episode III: Also Spracht Zarathustra* Uhh...AR, I think it's about time to get the chapter rolling.

AR: Now, back to our previous discussion...how did you figure out how to play that playstation, Yukana?

Y: Hm...I have my ways.

AR: Hey! That's my line!

All: *stare at the tv as realians start to eat another realian, "Febronia!"*

K: Oh, Yukana, that's gross! How can you play that without throwing up?

Se: Actually, I find it to be quite entertaining.

AR: Cheers to that, Dust Bunny! This is, like, my absolute favorite part of this game!

M: It is a shame that they are not real people. *stares at Shion's skimpy outfit*

IY: These people dress worse than Kagome!

K: Hey! InuYasha, osuwari!

Y and AR: Hehehe...hey, Miroku, you should see their swimsuits.

S: Shut up, you two! You're filling his head with...things.

AR: *smirks* Think dirty thoughts, Miroku!

Ka: Too late for that, Requiem. He's ahead of you by quite a few years on that one.

Se: Angel, I agree with Yukana on this one. It would be wise to give the readers the story before they leave.

AR: Oh, right. Okay people, my people are mine and Rumiko Takahashi's people are hers. The same goes for plots and all that other good stuff. Enjoy! And while you guys do that, we'll watch Yukana play Xenosaga! WOOHOOO!

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_In the winding down hours_

_I let your heart down again_

_~what did I do to make a scene so gory~_

_~I'm no better than the ones before me~_

_Old habbits die hard_

_I always end up hating the end_

_~what did I do to make a scene so gory~_

_~I'm no better than the ones before me~_

_(By The Way: Hinder)_

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Don't Fall Away

Chapter Thirteen: The Ball

The group followed closely behind Tanrei as she expertly led them through an intricate maze of hallways and corridors. Kagome silently admired the paintings and anything else that was hanging on the walls as she passed by, while Sesshomaru watched her with hidden amusement that came from the fact that she wasn't watching where she was going, which lead to her almost tripping over Tanrei's heels multiple times. And every time, Kagome would quickly apologize, only to do it again just seconds later.

"Forgive me Lady Kagome, but maybe it would help if you were watching where you were going instead of where you've been." Tanrei said uncertainly.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Tanrei. And it's okay, I completely understand." Tanrei nodded and stopped at an intricately carved mahogony door.

"The monk and the taijiya are to share this room." she announced. Miroku smirked and Sango blushed slightly. However, both entered the room without complaints, since there were two beds in the room. Tanrei continued down the hall and soon stopped at another door.

"Lady Yukana and Lord InuYasha are to share this room. Yes, I am aware that you are cousins, but there are two beds, so you will be fine." InuYasha mumbled something under his breath and followed Yukana into their sleeping chambers. The next room that Tanrei led them to was designated to Rin and Shippo.

"Is it bed time yet, Kagome?" Shippo asked, yawning. Rin nodded in agreement as she followed Shippo into the room. Kagome glanced at Sesshomaru and followed them into the room to tuck them in. She bid them goodnight and gently kissed their foreheads before she joined Sesshomaru and Tanrei back in the corridor.

"If you don't mind my asking, Lady Kagome, but why is it that you act as the children's mother?" Tanrei inquired.

"Because they don't have anyone else to do it for them." Kagome answered quietly. The other demoness nodded in understanding. Tanrei continued down the hall to another set of mahogony doors, although that particular set seemed to mark a more important room than the others did. She took a gold key from her pocket and unlocked the doors.

There was a loud click and the large doors automaticly swung foreward to reveal a beautifully decorated bedroom with a four poster bed draped in blue and silver, silk and valour, and even assorted furs. Kagome, however, didn't notice any of this, since her eyes were on just the bed in general.

"Uhh...Tanrei?" Kagome turned around, but Tanrei had already dissapeared. Kagome sighed and walked into the room, followed by Sesshomaru, who shut the door behind himself. He then looked at Kagome. She was standing in the middle of the floor with a strange look on her face as she stared-almost glaring-at the bed.

"Is there a problem, Kagome?"

"Yes! If you haven't noticed, Sesshomaru, there is only one bed in here!" Kagome exclaimed.

"Do not raise your voice to me, miko." Sesshomaru warned.

"Well, something has to be done about it!" Kagome whispered urgently. "We're not together, so I have a huge problem with this!"

"Oh, this was an awesome idea." Tanrei whispered through her giggles. She turned to another demoness who was standing beside her.

"Yes, Yukana would simply love this."

"Love what?" The two turned around to see Yukana walking toward them. "What are you two up to this time? And Kaori, what are you doing here?"

"Shush!" Tanrei and Kaori both pushed Yukana back towards her room. When they entered they quickly closed the door behind them.

"Hey! What's going on now? I thought Kaori was at home!"

"InuYasha, chill." Yukana said. "Go talk with Miroku for a little while, will 'ya darlin'? Oh, and send Sango over here. Thanks!" Yukana pulled InuYasha up off the floor and shoved him out the door, locking it behind him. She turned around and looked at Tanrei and Kaori suspiciously.

"Okay, what are you two up to?"

"Well..." Kaori and Tanrei began.

"You're trying to get Sesshomaru and Kagome together, so you put them in the same room with only one bed and wanted to know what they would do. Am I correct?"

"Okay...Yukana, that's scary. But, yes, we are." Kaori said.

"Kaori, how many times have I told you not to meddle in Sesshomaru's love life?" Yukana scolded.

"What love life?" Kaori and Tanrei said simultaneously. Yukana raised her eyebrows and the other two smiled sheepishly.

"Okay, let me re-phrase that. How many times have I told you not to meddle in Sesshomaru's love life..._without letting me in on it?!_" Tanrei and Kaori giggled.

"Sorry, Yukana. We meant to tell you sooner, we just didn't get a chance with me having to leave the castle and all." Kaori said. "Wanna help now?"

"Duh! Of course I do!"

So, Yukana, Tanrei, and Kaori started contemplating what they were going to do next, while Sesshomaru and Kagome figured out what they would do about their little situation.

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"This is not good." Kagome said. "What are we supposed to do, sleep in shifts? Don't answer that."

"You are making this seem worse than it really is." Sesshomaru declared. "There is a simple answer."

"What are we gonna do, stay on sides?"

"Precisely." Kagome narrowed her eyes.

"I don't trust you like that, Sesshomaru." Kagome informed him.

"I have my honor to watch out for, Kagome." Sesshomaru reminded her. "I promise I will not try anything."

"Fine, I'll hold you to that promise." Kagome walked to her side of the bed and picked up her bag, which was brought shortly before Tanrei had led them there. She picked it up and started to rummage through it. Kagome pulled out a pair of shorts and a tank top.

"Sesshomaru...I have to change. Do you mind waiting in the hall for me?" Kagome asked sweetly. Sesshomaru complied and walked out of the room.

(outside w/ sesshomaru)

"Sesshomaru, what are you doing?" InuYasha asked.

"Kagome is changing." Sesshomaru stated simply. InuYasha's jaw dropped.

"You mean...you and Kagome are sharing a room?"

"That's what it looks like." The door opened behind Sesshomaru and Kagome came out in her pajamas. InuYasha's jaw dropped even further, if it was even possible, when he saw her night wear.

"Kagome, what are you wearing? That's worse than your school uniform!"

"InuYasha, osuwari." Kagome ordered. "That was mean, InuYasha!"

When they had heard InuYasha hit the floor, Yukana, Kaori, Tanrei, Sango, and Miroku all came out into the hallway.

"What is going on, Kagome?" Sango asked. Miroku stared dumbly at Kagome and let his mind wander to the unmentionables. Sango looked over at him and gave him a good whack in the back of the head.

"InuYasha was being mean to me." Kagome answered innocently.

"InuYasha, I thought we told you to go bother Miroku, not Sesshomaru." Yukana said.

"You guys kicked InuYasha out of his room?" Sango asked. Yukana, Kaori, and Tanrei nodded.

"We told him to go hang with Miroku for a while." Kaori said. "And to send you over."

"Wait a minute...Kaori, what are you doing here?" Kagome asked, confused.

"Tanrei needed company."

"Whatever. I'm going to bed." Kagome turned around and dissapeared back into the room, leaving everyone else in the hall stuck in an awkward silence.

"I agree with Kagome. It's about time for me to retire for the night as well." Miroku declared a few minutes later. Sango nodded.

"Yeah, me too. Oyasumi." She followed Miroku back into their room.

"Well, Yukana, Kaori and I have to get going as well." Tanrei said. "We have a few things to take care of." She took hold of Kaori's arm and led her off somewhere.

"Okay, then. C'mon, InuYasha, we should get to sleep, too." Yukana pulled InuYasha off the floor and led him into their room. Sesshomaru turned and entered his own. He looked over to Kagome, who was already asleep and quietly removed his armor and haori. *-drool-* The taiyoukai layed toward the edge of the bed and was soon carried into the land of dreams.

~*^*~~*^*~~*^*~~*^*~~*^*~

Kagome awoke to the chirping of birds and the sunlight shining in her face. She felt abnormally warm, but she didn't care. She felt like she could lay there all day. Kagome sighed and snuggled her head closer into her pillow. It was then that she realized that her movements were somewhat limited by an arm draped around her waist.

Kagome's eyes flew open and her breath caught in her chest. Her mind was screaming at her to get away from it, but her body didn't want to respond. There was also that small part of her mind that didn't want her to move, either.

_'This is wrong...'_

_'And how would that be? You're not engaged or anything.'_

_'Yeah, I know, but this is _Sesshomaru_ we're talking about here.'_

_'Ya know, Kagome, you're a very smart girl, but sometimes I really think that you're stupid.'_

_'Hey! What's that supposed to mean?'_

_'If you can't figure it out by yourself, then there's no use telling you. You've got a brain, do some detective work of your own.'_

_'I wouldn't need to do some 'detective work', as you put it, if you would just tell me!_

_'So, you want my thoughts on this subject?'_

_'Well, duh.'_

_'Fine. It is my beliefe that the stick in the mud laying behind you may feel even a little something toward you. And I'm not talking about a friendship.'_

_'You can't be serious. He's InuYasha's brother. He hates me!'_

_'Wow...you really are stupid. What a shame. Who told you that?'_

_'Uh...nobody did. I just figured that since I always hung around InuYasha that Sesshomaru would-'_

_'Oh, shut up! Have you even payed attention to the way he acts around you? His fortress is falling and you are the opposing army that is making it do just thatl.'_

_'Okay...I'll test out this theory of yours and get back to you.'_

_'It's not a theory. It's a fact. And I also happen to know that you are starting to feel the same way about him as well.'_

_'Leave me alone. I have things I need to do.'_

_'Fine! I don't wanna talk to you either! Hehehe...toodles!'_

Kagome finally regained control of her body and slowly slid away from the still sleeping taiyokai...

"Ahh! Oof!"

Thump.

Sesshomaru's amber eyes opened, looking quite startled. Kagome's head poked up from the floor, blushing furiously.

"Whoops, clumsy me!" she said nervously, rubbing the back of her head. Kagome grinned sheepishly before she got up off the floor and started going through her bag.

"So, is that how you always wake yourself up, Kagome?" Sesshomaru teased. Kagome snorted into her bag and continued to remove the contents until she found what she had been after. Sesshomaru had gotten out of the bed and started to put his haori and armor back on. *-oh, man!-*

Seconds later Kaori, Sango, Yukana, and Tanrei came rushing into the room.

"What's all the commotion, Kagome?" Sango asked teasingly. Yukana, Tanrei, and Kaori had filled her in on everything earlier that morning, and she had thought it was a great idea.

"I...uh...fell out of the bed again..." Kagome answered sheepishly, blushing once again at the thought of exactly _why_ she had fallen. "Okay, all of you out! I need to change. Yes, that includes you, Sesshomaru." They all filed toward the door.

"Hey, Sesshomaru, don't hold back any _details_." Yukana whispered as they headed towards the door. She smirked at him and sped up to join the others.

Sango, Yukana, Tanrei, and Kaori had sprinted off immediatly after exiting the room, while Sesshomaru chose to wait outside the door. He had only been there a few minutes when he heard a pained cry from inside the room, followed by the crash of breaking glass. Sesshomaru turned around and ran into the room.

Kagome was on the floor next to the vanity, panting and gasping desperatly for breath with one hand on her chest and a pained expression on her face. Broken glass had been scattered all over the floor around her. Sesshomaru rushed over and knelt next to her.

"Sess...ho...maru. I c...can't...breathe." Kagome choked. "I...can't-" It was then that she passed out due to lack of oxygen. Sesshomaru quickly caught her before she fell on the glass littered floor. For the first time since his father died, Sesshomaru was at a loss. He didn't know what he should do to help her.

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AR: Maybe I should stop here, guys. What do you think?

K: No! Bad AR! You have to make it longer!

AR: How come?

Se: Because I said so.

AR: Okay, Dust Bunny!

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Just then, Yukana came back.

"Sesshomaru, what happened? Why is the floor covered in...KAGOME!" Yukana exclaimed, running to Kagome's side. "Sesshomaru, what happened?! She's not breathing!"

"Yukana, stay calm." Sesshomaru said sharply. "Fetch Arashi, the castle healer, quickly." The usually calm and collected Sesshomaru was near the point of panic, but this didn't show until after Yukana had left the room. He gently tried to coax Kagome into consciousness, but was not making any progress.

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Kurayami watched silently from the window as the great Sesshomaru tried to coerce the young demoness to breathe. Her red eyes softened into a darker shade of pink. There was no way she would be able to do this.

_'I can't take her life.' _Kurayami thought. _'She may be the only other living thing that can help me get my _own_ life back.' _She then thought of Sesshomaru. She knew just by looking at him that he loved Kagome, even if he,himself, didn't know it yet. *-O.O she's good-*

She closed her eyes and sighed, releasing the magical hold she had on Kagome's lungs, but she did not see the rise and fall of her chest that meant she was breathing.

_'What is wrong?'_

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Sesshomaru knew now what he had to do. He knew he had to force the air into her lungs if she was going to have a chance. He knew it was going to be the only way, but there was something nagging at him in the back of his mind. He disreguarded this little voice, however.

Sesshomaru tilted Kagome's head back to clear her airway, but then he hesitated, unsure of himself.

'_What would Kagome think?'_

_'__Well, you'll never find out if you don't hurry up!'_

_'Silence! I'm working on it! You're distracting me, be gone!'_

_'Touchy, touchy...fine. I'll only leave because this is something important. Good luck!'_

Sesshomaru shook his head to dispose of any and all things that could prove distracting. He lowered his head and upper body and their lips met...

*~----------------------------------~**~----------------------------------~*

Yukana sprinted out of the room in search of Arashi. This was going to be a difficult task: she had never met Arashi, which means that she doesn't know her scent or aura, so she was on her own. Yukana continued to race down the corridors. She rounded a corner and collided with Lord Daijirou.

"Good heavens, Yukana! What on earth are you doing?" he asked. It was then that he saw the panicked look on her face. "Yukana, is there something wrong?"

"I need Arashi!" Yukana said hurriedly. "Where is Arashi?!"

"She is in the hospital wing, but what is the emergency, child?"

"There's no time for this!" Yukana yelled. "Where is the hospital wing, Lord Daijirou?"

"It's just down this corridor. Yukana I would really-" He was cut off when Yukana sped off in the direction he was pointing in. The lord sighed and followed her down the hallway. Yukana was already in there and quickly explaining everything to the healer. Arashi let her eyes go wide and she followed Yukana back to the bedroom, stuggling to keep up with the demoness.

Yukana skidded to a halt outside the doors to Sesshomaru and Kagome's bedroom and pushed them open, rather forcefully. Her eyes widened when the scene behind the doors came into her line of vision. Lord Daijirou stalked up behind them.

"I demand to know what is going on here!" he ordered. Yukana didn't answer, her body had frozen from suprise and disbelief.

"Yukana...what in the world?"

_**Kagome's Dream**_

_Kagome looked around at the swirling white mist that surrounded her. She was in...a graveyard? But this was not the one she would expect herself to be in. It was different from the one in which the body of InuYasha and Sesshomaru's father resides. They were human graves, that and everything was in black and white._

_ ''Where am I?'_

_"Kagome, you are in a place that you will see in the near future." the stranger said, her voice echoing mysteriously in the empty silence. "This place will determine the future of your friends and yourself."_

_"But, I have never even seen this place before." Kagome looked into the girl's deep, blue eyes, the only color that existed in the lifeless void, excluding the bright orange of her hair. "Who are you? Where am I?"_

_"The living call me Nephilim." she replied. "This place, Rennes-le-chateau, this is where the final battle will take place."_

_"The final battle...with Naraku?"_

_"Naraku is the least of your worries, Kagome. Your body could die at any moment if you don't fight it." the girl replied gravely. "I am doing everything in my power to keep your heart beating as long as possible." Kagome gaped at the young girl. 'She can't be more than ten years old.'_

_"You must help us, Kagome."_

_"Us?"_

_"We need your help. You and him are the only ones who can save us from the otherwise inevitable." Nephilim informed her._

_"But, Nephilim, I don't understand. Who am I saving? And who is this man that is supposed to be helping me?" Kagome questioned. "What am I supposed to do?"_

_"Save us, Kagome. You two are the only hope we have left." Having said what she came to say, Nephilim dissapeared, but her last message echoed through the air even after her physical being was no longer visible. "Do not fear the restrictor. She is an ally. She can help."_

_"Wait! I still have questions!" Kagome called. "Why is it that nobody stays anymore? I would be better off talking to my shoe. How am I supposed to get out of here?"_

_Kagome._

_"What? Who's there?"_

_Kagome._

_"Huh?"_

_Wake up, Kagome._

_**End Dream**_

Kagome's eyes fluttered open, revealing deep gold orbs staring down at her. Kagome sat up and held her hand to her head.

"What happened?" Kagome asked wearily.

"You stopped breathing and passed out." Yukana said. "Kagome, what happened to you?"

"The ristrictor..." Kagome muttered.

"Who?"

"The restrictor." Kagome said louder. "She is the one who did it. But...she's supposed to be an ally. Who is she?" Sesshomaru stood up and helped Kagome to her feet.

"There is a rumor going around concerning a young female demoness." Sesshomaru said. Everyone turned to look at him.

"What is the rumor, Sesshomaru?" Kagome asked.

"It is said that she is able to take control of the action of the lungs and heart, most likely using some sort of magic." Sesshomaru explained calmly. "The rumor also states that her residential village was recently decimated by numerous demons under Naraku's jurisdiction."

"Do you know her name?" Yukana inquired.

"As of this moment, her name is unknown." Sesshomaru stated. "However, it is a theory that she has joined forces with Naraku, but whether she joined out of force or free will, is, as of yet, unknown." Kagome nodded and thought back to the cryptic young girl who had appeared before her in her dream.

"She said she was an ally." Kagome muttered, staring at the floor.

"Kagome, what are you talking about?" Kagome looked up.

"Naraku forced her to join him." Kagome said fiercely. She then said, more to herself than anyone else, "She's the one of the people we're supposed to help...but who is the other one?" Yukana looked warilly at Kagome as she muttered to herself.

"Kagome, are you okay?" Yukana questioned. "Who is this woman you keep talking about?"

"Not a woman, Yukana, but a girl." Kagome informed her. "Nephilim. She needs help, but I don't know why...how am I supposed to help her?"

"Um...is something going on in here?" Everyone turned around to see Sango standing in the doorway with Kaori and Tanrei.

"No, it's nothing important. I just-"

"Almost died." Yukana interrupted. Kagome glared at her. Kaori, Sango, and Tanrei adopted a worried expression.

"Yukana, if I wanted them to worry I would have told them myself." Kagome said.

"Well, they deserved to know." Yukana defended. "They are your friends, too, so you can't keep something big like that from them."

"It's not that big of a deal. I almost die at least once a week." Kagome retorted. "You should know that by now."

"Yes, I do know that, but somebody had to be really close in order to be able to put such a strong curse on you."

"I think we've already established that it wasn't a curse, Yukana." Sesshomaru said.

"Um...why don't we continue this discussion later?" Arashi offered. "You all need to get ready for the ball tonight."

"It doesn't take all day to put a kimono on." Kagome pointed out lazily. "But I _would_ like to continue this later. I have to go wake up Rin and Shippo." She flashed a smile at Sesshomaru and walked out the door.

_'Maybe I do like him...'_

Kagome slowly opened the door to the childrens' room and silently walked over to Rin's bed. She smiled tenderly at the little girl and gently picked her up. Rin wrapped her arms around Kagome's neck and yawned into her shoulder. Kagome set her down next to Shippo's bed, making sure that she was standing firmly before she woke Shippo. The kit was a bit more difficult to wake. Kagome ended up picking him up and pretending to drop him before he was even half conscious.

"It's just about time for you two to start getting ready for the ball, okay?" Kagome said softly. Rin looked up at Kagome and rubbed her eyes.

"Why do we have to go to the ball, Kagome-chan?" Rin asked, her speach still a little slured from drowsiness. Shippo nodded in agreement, making Kagome giggle.

"Yes, you guys have to go. Wanna know why?" Rin and Shippo tilted their heads to the side.

"Why?"

"Because I have to go! I don't know what I'm supposed to do, so I need you to help me so I don't mess up, Rin." Kagome said sweetly. Rin's eyes adopted an excited gleam and she seemed to wake up immediately.

"Okay, Kagome-chan! Rin will help Shippo, too." Rin offered. Shippo nodded enthusiasticly and Kagome smiled at the two adorable children. She patted their cheeks and bent down to their eye level.

"Get ready." Kagome smiled at them again and walked out the door.

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The day passed quickly and before Kagome knew it, the ball was already about to start. Kagome had already put on her kimono and was pacing in the hall. Earlier, she had made the decision to leave her hair down for the ball. Kagome also refused to put on make-up, making Tanrei wonder if she was alergic to it or somethin. Kagome just told her that she didn't need to put any on.

Kagome continued her pacing until Katara walked up to her.

"Kagome, you look nervous." she said simply. Kagome nodded.

"Believe it or not, I've never been to one of these things. I have no idea what I'm supposed to do." Kagome admitted.

"It's okay. I heard you talking to Rin earlier." Katara said. "You'll be fine. Just act the same way you did when you first arrived here. That's all there is to it."

"Arigatou, Lady Katara."

"I have been the lady of the east for at least ninteen years and I _still_ haven't gotten used to that yet." Katara said offhandedly. Kagome took the hint.

"Sorry."

"It's okay. You can just call me Katara. Everybody else does." Katara told her. "I prefer being called by my name over adressed with that akward title of 'lady'." Kagome giggled and Katara smiled.

"Lord Takeru and Lady Asuna of the north have just arrived, as well as Lord Ozai and Lady Sousha of the south." Tanrei announced. Katara nodded and greeted the lords and ladies with a warm smile. Lord Takeru had short dark brown hair. He was tall, but not as tall as Sesshomaru, and he had two barely noticable yellow stripes under his eyes and a white feather on his head. Lady Asuna, on the other hand, had long bright orange hair and loud green eyes that sparkled with excitement. Her demonic markings very closely resembled Kagome's, save for the light green snowflake in place of Kagome's star.

The appearance of the lord and lady of the south startled her greatly. They looked like they could have been twins. They both had pitch black hair, piercing red eyes, one grey stripe under thier eyes, and a red flame symbol on their foreheads, hidden by thier bangs. The only difference between the two was the Lady Sousha's eyes held none of the severity that was clouding her mate's. Lord Ozai was staring at Kagome, which she found unnerving. She didn't like the way he looked at her...

Sesshomaru walked up behind Kagome a few moments later. He had put on the same basic outfit he usually wears, but the red and white had been switched and he was not wearing his armor. He placed his hand on Kagome's shoulder.

"Welcome." Katara said. "I am sure you remember Lord Sesshomaru." The others nodded. Sesshomaru felt Kagome shiver slightly and noticed the odd look she was being given by Lord Ozai. He glared at the other lord, who averted his gaze.

Lady Asuna turned to Kagome, smiling brightly.

"Who is your guest, Sesshomaru?" she asked.

"Her name is Kagome." Sesshomaru answered blandly. Kagome smiled and managed a small wave.

"Katara, everyone, it is time." Daijirou declared as he strolled up to the group. "Ozai and Sousha are entering first, followed by Takeru and Asuna, Sesshomaru and Kagome, and then us." The group stood in order, with the females on their male's right side. The doors opened and Lord Ozai and Lady Sousha entered the hall, announced by another demon as they went in. Kagome felt her stomach twist itself into a nervous knot.

Sesshomaru sensed Kagome's uneasyness and gave her hand a light squeez of reassurance. Kagome turned and looked at him. She smiled softly and turned her head foreward as Takeru and Asuna dissapeared into the ballroom after they had been announced.

_'I can handle this...I know I can.' _Kagome thought. _'If I mess up...' _Kagome's thoughts were interrupted when the demon announced her and Sesshomaru. She took a deep breath and stepped into the brightly lit ballroom. When they came into view, eyerything suddenly went silent, as if someone had pressed the mute button on a remote.

The sudden silence didn't do anything to help Kagome's nerves as she decsnded the staircase. The hall suddenly erupted in whispers of "Who is she?" and "That lucky bitch!", followed by the occasional "Now that girl's a piece of work." and a slap from their date. She tried her best to ignore these little comments, but Kagome found that, somewhere deep down, they aggrivated her for some reason.

They reached the bottom of the staircase and stood next to the other lords and ladies as Daijirou and Katara entered. Katara was beaming at all of the guests as she decended beside her mate. As they walked down the aisle to the other end of the room, the people bowed as they passed and Kagome, Sesshomaru, Sousha, Ozai, Takeru, and Asuna followed behind them.

There were a total of eight seats, each getting higher according to the power of the lands and their ruler. The only exception being that the top two were switched to show that, even though the west was more powerful than the east, the east was the host of the ball for their daughter. They all stood in front of their designated seat and turned around. Lord Daijirou raised his arms.

"Welcome! Arigatou for coming to celebrate this very special day." he said. "I would also like to thank the other lords and ladies for gracing us with their presence." Daijirou looked around the room at the silent faces of the poeple. "Let the dancing begin!" After making this announcement, he took his seat and the others followed suit. There was a lot of movement and the music bagan to play and the other guests started to dance.

Kagome turned to Sesshomaru, who was silently watching the lesser lords and their dates on the dance floor.

"Are we just supposed to sit here and look pretty?" Kagome asked.

"No." Sesshomaru answered. "Once the princess comes out we will be able to get up and dance or do anything else we feel the need to do." Kagome nodded and relaxed slightly, allowing her back to slump over a little. She watched with delight as all of the others, demons and humans alike, danced to the music.

Kagome was situated between Sesshomaru and Ozai, a thought that she wasn't necessarily comfortable with. She could feel that funny sense that tells a person that someone is staring at them. Kagome's body tensed again and she fidgeted slightly under his unyielding gaze. Sesshomaru noticed her small movements and glanced at her from the corner of his eyes. He was going to say something to her, but the demon who had announced the entrance of the lords and ladies ordered the attention of the room again.

"It gives me great honor to announce the Princess of the East, Lady Ayaka."

The doors opened again and revealed a very young looking demoness. From a distance, the only feature that Kagome could make out was her bleach blonde hair and rather large ice blue eyes. Ayaka decended the stairs and made her way towards her parents and the other rulers. It was then that Kagome finally got a good look at her. Her eyes held a sort of liveliness that Kagome had never seen in a demon. She closely observed the cerulean crystal on her forehead. Another odd contribution to Ayaka's appearance was that she had no stripes under her eyes or on her wrists. But she was still rather pretty.

Ayaka stopped in front of her parents and bowed deeply, then turned and did the same to the other lords and their ladies. She turned once again and bowed to all the other guests.

"I thank you all for coming." Ayaka announced. "I would also like to give my congratulations to Lord Sesshomaru of the West. We thought that we were going to have to find you a dance partner!" She turned to Sesshomaru and Kagome and grinned. The other guests laughed lightly as they caught on to the joke.

"Enjoy the rest of the ball!" Ayaka beamed and sat in front of her parents. The music started up again and the guests continued dancing. Kagome giggled at Ayaka's little comment and, to be completely honest, actually agreed with it to some point.

"Am I correct to assume that the other lords and ladies have a habbit of trying to play matchmaker when you come over for one of thier celebrations?" Kagome asked airily as she examined her claws. Sesshomaru looked at her and she turned to him and smiled.

"It was just a question."

"Yes, you are correct in your assumption. Although, I would have to say it never worked very well." Sesshomaru stated. Kagome giggled again and started twirling her hair around her finger.

"So what are we supposed to do now?" Kagome asked. "Is there, like, a signal that we wait for that tells us we can get up?"

"Lord Daijirou and Lady Katara will get up in a few moments." Sesshomaru informed her. "They will start the traditional dances. When that happens, we are required to join in."

"Oh...and how long would that take?"

"Kagome-chan!" Kagome jumped and looked into the crowd to find Rin and Shippo running at her.

"Hello, you two! You guys aren't causing any trouble, are you?" she asked playfully.

"Nope. Rin is being good!" Rin said proudly. Shippo nodded and jumped onto Kagome's lap. Rin, on the other hand, just stood there with a sad look in her eyes. Kagome saw this look and picked up the little girl, sitting her next to Shippo. Rin beamed and her face spread into a wide grin.

Yukana, Sango, Miroku, and InuYasha appeared a few seconds later, pushing their way through the crowd of people, and stood in front of Kagome.

"Hey, Kagome. Are you having fun yet?" Sango asked, grinning.

"I suppose we'd have to wait for the end result." Yukana said. "It depends on how many little critters we have running around."

"I agree." Miroku piped in. "It is hard to predict the future, but I have a feeling there will be at least five."

"Miroku..." Sango warned.

_'I hope they're not talking about what I think they're talking about...' _Kagome thought.

"Yes, that does seem like a rather rediculous number...I like the sound of three. What do you think InuYasha? Doesn't it have a certain ring to it?" Sango scowled and moved her kimono so that nobody could see her stomp on Miroku's foot.

"Ow!"

"Miroku, are you okay?" Kagome asked.

"The little critters got me..." Miroku answered meekly. Sango raised her foot again and Miroku shut his mouth. InuYasha rolled his eyes and walked off in search of something better to do than watch Miroku make a fool out of himself.

Sesshomaru turned to Kagome and motioned for her to get up. Kagome looked at Daijirou and Katara, who had stood up, and did as she was told. Rin and Shippo hopped off her legs and were led away by the others. The demon at the doors announced the traditional dances and the guests cleared out from the dance floor. Kagome and Sesshoamru followed Daijirou and Katara into the center.

The first dance was an upbeat song with a fast tempo. At first, Kagome had some difficulty keeping up with Sesshomaru, but, once she got the steps down, she looked like she had been doing it for years. It was something very close to swing dancing. After a little while, all of the other guests joined in, including Rin, Shippo, Yukana, Sango, Miroku, and InuYasha.

The second dance was to a slow beat. It was a short dance and this made Kagome rather glad. She didn't like slow dances.

According to Sesshomaru, there were three traditional dances. The first two Kagome didn't mind, but she had a real problem with the last one. The lord's date was required to dance with their neighboring lord, going in a counter clockwise direction. This put Daijirou with Sousha, Katara with Takeru, Sesshomaru with Asuna, and, to Kagome's dismay, herself with Ozai. The thing that made it worse was the fact that it was also a slow dance. She didn't complain, however.

Kagome pursed her lips and stood in front of Ozai. Kagome frowned when the music started playing, but started the dance as if nothing was wrong. As the dance progressed, Kagome's discomfort did as well. Kagome could feel his hand sliding down her back, ever so slowly. It was then that his hand migrated way too low for comfort. Kagome scowled and purposely stepped on his foot.

"Don't." she warned. Kagome reached behind her and replaced Ozai's hand where it should be. It was too bad it didn't stay. Kagome, once again, stepped on his foot, harder this time, and moved his hand back to its ideal spot.

"I said 'no'." Kagome said through clenched teeth. Ozai smirked.

"Ma pe`che, I am clueless as to what you are speaking of."

"Don't call me that." Kagome glared at him.

"And what are you going to do about it?" Ozai asked shrewdly. "You can't hurt me for risk of getting into trouble." Kagome smirked at him.

"Hide and watch me." The dance ended and Kagome turned on her heel and stormed away. Yukana caught up with her a few moments later.

"You look pissed." she said bluntly.

"You think?" Kagome snapped, not even bothering to look at Yukana. Yukana quickened her pace so that she was walking alongside Kagome.

"What's wrong? You weren't so angry before the dances started." Yukana pointed out. "Did Sesshomaru do something to you again?"

"No." Kagome spat. "Even Sesshomaru wouldn't go that low, Yukana."

"Kagome, what on earth are you talking about?" Kagome turned on Yukana and glared at her. Her usually sparkling eyes were cold and angry.

"If Lord Ozai comes within two meters of me, I won't hesitate to hurt him." Kagome seethed. "Noble blood or not, I won't hold back. And if I kill him, I won't have any regrets." It was that statement that rattled Yukana. Kagome turned and stalked out of the ballroom.

Yukana knew how much damage that Kagome was capable of doing. She remembered clearly what had happened when Sesshomaru had angered the young miko. He had ended up unconsciouse for at least three hours. Yukana stared after Kagome and made a decision: she had to tell Sesshomaru. She searched the room and found him conversing with Daijirou, Katara, Takeru, Hikari, and Sousha. She walked up behind him and tapped his shoulder.

"Sesshomaru." Sesshomaru turned around to look at her. "I need to talk to you. It's important." Sesshomaru nodded and followed Yukana into the corridor.

"What is this important matter you wish to discuss, Yukana?" Sesshomaru inquired.

"Kagome."

"What is wrong with the miko this time?"

"She is angry. I'm afraid she's going to do something drastic." Yukana said. "When she left she was furious."

"Who was the one who caused this anger?"

"I think she said something about Ozai..." Yukana muttered. "I don't remember exactly what she said, but I think it was something to the effect of 'keep him away from me or I'll hurt him'. She told me that she wouldn't regret it if she killed him. He must have made her really mad..."

"Where is Kagome now?" Sesshomaru asked. Yukana shrugged her shoulders and started twiddling her fingers.

"I don't know...the only place I can think of is back to the room." Yukana informed him. "It's quiet in there and there wouldn't be anyone around. You should go talk to her."

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Kagome made her way through the winding corridors of the eastern castle, still seething over Lord Ozai's actions.

"That god damned, mother fucking, cock sucking son of a bitch!" she fumed. She rounded a corner and almost collided with a rather tall demon, but was able to stop herself just in time. Kagome glared at the feet person who had interrupted her ranting. She refused to look him in the eyes.

Lord Ozai stared down at her with a smirk on his face and placed his hand under her chin, forcing Kagome to make eye contact.

"You wouldn't happen to be talking about me, would you, ma pe`che?" Kagome balled her hands into fists.

"You don't deserve the recognition." Kagome spat. "Now remove your hand before I remove it for you. Trust me, you won't like the way I'll do it."

"Is that a threat, ma pe`che?" Ozai asked mockingly.

"No. It's a promise." Kagome saw something that looked a lot to her like lust flash in his eyes.

Her instinct took over at that point.

Kagome punched him in the stomach and sprinted back in the direction she had come from, running down radom hallways in order to confuse him should he choose to persue her, which he did.

_'Her youth is obvious. She has enabled her instinct to take over.'_ Ozai smirked and took a detour that would place him right in her path if she kept up her unconscious pattern_. 'A demon's instinct always uses the same pattern: right, right, left, left, right, left.'_ He found the corridor he was looking for and waited. Moments later, Ozai could hear Kagome's frantic footsteps approaching.

Kagome rounded a corner and was, with great force, hoisted up by her collar and slammed against the wall. Kagome let out a cry and tried to wrench his hand from her kimono. When this didn't work, she resorted to digging her claws into it, instead. This new idea didn't phase Ozai, however, but instead proved to be very annoying.

"You cannot escape, ma pe`che." he mocked. "You should just give in. You can't beat me." Kagome whimpered, closing her eyes, and her hold on his hand weakened. Ozai smirked. "Good girl." He pressed his body against her small frame.

Kagome's eyes shot open. _'This is not good...'_ her instinct told her. She renewed her struggles and almost succeded in getting away, but Ozai refused to let that happen and punched her in the stomach. Kagome gasped. Ozai reached behind her head, taking hold of a large chunk of Kagome's hair, and crashed his lips down on hers. Kagome whimpered again and tears started rolling down her cheeks.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

"I'm almost positive she went back to-" Yukana started, but Sesshomaru cut her off.

"Quiet." Sesshomaru ordered. He sniffed the air and smelled the distinct scents of fear, blood, and arousal.

"What's wrong, Sesshoamru?" Yukana asked timidly.

"Kagome is in trouble..." Sesshomaru sprinted off toward the source of the scents, with Yukana tailing him closely.

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Kagome's mind was screaming at him to stop. In her heightened sense of fear, Kagome's miko powers lay forgotten in the back of her mind. The tears were flowing freely down the side of her face as she futilly struggled against the lord's form. He had let go of her collar and his free hand was wandering over her body. The only thing that kept her up was the force between Ozai and the wall, making it so that Kagome couldn't even feel the ground.

_'I don't want this!'_

_'Kagome.' _Kagome opened her eyes to see the blury image of Nephilim. Her eyes were shining with pity.

_'N-Nephilim...help me...please...'_

_'Do not worry. Help is on the way.'_

Kagome sobbed and continued her hopeless struggle against the demon lord. By that time, her body had begun to shake violently. Ozai left her mouth and started trailing small kisses down her neck. Kagome struggled harder against him, hitting and punching any place that she could reach.

"Your struggles are futile, ma pe`che." Ozai told her, pinning Kagome's hands above her head. "You should give up." He returned his attention to her bruised and bleeding lips. _'I need you...please help me, Sesshomaru.' _Kagome pleaded mentally.

--------------------------------------------------------------

InuYasha watched Sesshomaru and Yukana leave the ballroom and secretly followed them. When he heard Sesshomaru declare that Kagome needed help, he rushed after them to help her.

The three of them arrived at the scene and froze. _'He's forcing himself on her...'_ InuYasha thought in disbelief.

Sesshomaru was the first to regain his control and ran at Ozai, shoving his shoulder into the other lord. Ozai was thrown at least twenty feet and Kagome fell to the ground, sobbing her heart out. InuYasha rushed over and picked her up. Kagome struggled against him, screaming for him to let her go. He did as he was told and left her to Yukana. Yukana knelt next to her and threw her arms around the hysterical young girl.

"Kagome...you're safe now. You're going to be okay." Yukana cooed, rocking back and forth.

"I would have expected better on your part, Ozai." Sesshomaru spat.

"She is not claimed." Ozai declared furiously. "I have the right to claim the wench. Get out of my way, Sesshomaru."

"So you're saying that Kagome doesn't have a say in the matter?"

"She wants it. I know she does." Ozai said hungrily. "That little whore asked for it, she wanted it so badly. Hand her over and I can be on my way." In only a few strides, Sesshomaru had reached the other lord. He landed a punch right in the center of his forehead and knocked Ozai out.

"Disgusting." Sesshomaru muttered. He turned and went back to Kagome, InuYasha, and Yukana. Kagome was still shaking badly, but her sobs had died down to a pathetic whimper.

_'I could have killed him...I could have hurt him...why didn't I do anything?' _Kagome thought to herself. _'I could have thrown him back, but instead I ran when I know that any youkai will chase something that runs from them. I knew that...'_

------------------------------------------------------------------------

AR: All done!

IY: Finally. What took you so long?

AR: If you haven't forgotten, InuYasha, I still have school. Besides, I had a small case of writers block.

K: That chapter was mean, AR. You know that, right?

AR: Yes...but all of the people were waiting for something good to happen and that was the only thing I could think of.

K: So you had to suffocate me and stick me with a big pervert?

AR: Affirmative.

K: That doesn't sound fair to me.

AR: Kagome, shut it. Y'all wanna know what I got for Christmas? I got ice skates! And a whole bunch of art stuff...but, anyway, I'm out 'cause I wanna go to bed. Toodles and Dasvidanya all you people!

THIS IS THE OFFICIAL LONGEST CHAPTER IN DON'T FALL AWAY!!!!


	14. I Don't Want to Be Alone

AR: Kagome...

K: I never asked you to help me!

Se: I doubt that.

AR: Kagome...

K: You are such an arrogant prick! You think you can just-

Se: Enough, miko. Your wearing thin on my patience.

AR: Kagome...

K: See! There you go again! This is why I was so hesitant to take this job!

Se: Actually, you jumped into the script head first. You clearly stated that you thought it to be an interesting idea.

AR: Kagome...

K: WHAT?!

AR: Uh...hi!

Se: smirks

K: glares at AR and leaves, pushing past Yukana on her way out

Y: Hey, watch it! goes and sits next to AR What crawled up her butt and died?

AR: She's just grumpy after what I did to her in the last chapter.

Y: You mean with that Ozai guy?

AR: Yup yup.

Y: Well...I can't blame her...

AR: Hey! Who's side are you on?!

Y: I...uh...gotta go make sure Rin doesn't kill MOMO...sprints out of room

AR: I tell you, Dust Bunny...no respect!

Se: Indeed...follows Yukana

AR: I give up with these people! walks over and opens closet Uh...Miroku, what are you doing in my closet? And why is he with you?

O: Hello, ma peche.

AR: glares OUT! BOTH OF YOU!

M and O: run away in a frenzy

AR: AND STAY OUT!

N: Now what are you going to do?

AR: What is it with you people? I thought we established in the last skit that you weren't welcome!

N: You did, but that doesn't mean I'll stay away.

AR: You have till the count of three, Naraku...one...two...

N: dissapears

AR: Good riddance...well, here you go. Maybe while you guys do that I'll try to take a nap...

Ka: walks in and looks at AR

AR: talking in sleep I don't own...potatoes...rolls over I don't own...pie...rolls over I don't own...Inu-

Ka: ...kicks AR

AR: GAH! falls out of bed What was that for?!

Ka: Disclaimer, AR.

AR: Oh...me no own...falls back to sleep on floor

Ka: mutters Loser...

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_Let her cry_

_If the tears fall down like rain_

_Let her sing_

_If it eases all her pain_

_Let her go_

_Let her walk right out on me_

_And if the sun comes up tomorrow_

_Let her be_

_Let her be_

_(Let Her Cry: Hootie and the Blowfish)_

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Don't Fall Away

Chapter Fourteen: "I Don't Want to Be Alone."

Kagome sadly made her way to the vanity and placed her things in her bag. Blood still seeped from the small cuts on her lips, which she wiped away with the back of her hand. To say the least, Kagome was disgusted with herself. She knew that he would chase her until he got what he wanted, yet she ran...she ran. Her mind flew back to that instant, that instant when she had mentally called for help. Help, not from InuYasha, but from Sesshomaru. It had been Sesshomaru's name she had remembered calling.

Then there was something else she remembered...it was when InuYasha had tried to pick her up and take her away. She recalled thrashing violently and screaming for him to let her go. Then there was what happened after Ozai had been knocked unconscious. Sesshomaru had walked over to her and picked her up, but, instead of fighting him like she had InuYasha, Kagome threw her arms around his neck and rested her head on his chest, crying silently into his haori.

InuYasha had stared at his brother's back as they walked back to Kagome and Sesshomaru's room. His eyes showed the slightest hint of envy, which Yukana was the only one to see. She had felt the tenseness of the atmosphere between Sesshomaru and InuYasha, and she had known that she didn't want to get involved any further than she already was.

Kagome finished packing and zipped up her bag, turning to Sesshomaru. After the incidents with The Restrictor and Ozai, Kagome had been under constant watch, mostly by Sesshomaru. Strangely, Kagome didn't have any complaints about this idea; she actually rather enjoyed Sesshomaru's company. What made it even more comforting after the incident with Ozai was that Sesshomaru never came too close.

Then there was the thing that troubled her most; the fact that she only vaguely remembered what had transpired. She knew none of the small details or even the mildly significant ones. The only things that stood out to her were the taste of her own blood, the fear when his lips had met hers, and that terrible phrase: _ma peche._ Kagome knew enough french to know what that meant, and she didn't like the way it sounded. Now, looking at herself, that was the only thing she thought of. She no longer saw herself, but some whore who had almost been raped. Kagome stared into the mirror, looking at her cracked lips with disgust. She didn't want to see that image anymore. She balled her fist and aimed it at her face in the mirror...but she never made contact.

Sesshomaru had been closely watching Kagome as she packed her things. When she had begun staring at herself in the mirror, he had become curious as to what her thoughts were, especially when a look of plain dusgust had reared its ugly head. Sesshomaru watched her prepare to break the reflection and quickly took hold of her wrist, firmly and, at the same time, gently. Kagome flinched and looked up into his golden depths. He was silently telling her everything was going to be okay.

Kagome closed her eyes and walked away from him, returning to the bed to retrieve Rekuiemu from beneath it. She fastened it securely to her obi and returned to the vanity to retrieve her bag before slowly walking towards the door. She needed to get away from that place before she cracked.

Sesshomaru led Kagome down the halls and past the ballroom doors. The ball was not over yet, but they were leaving anyway. Sesshomaru had ordered Yukana and InuYasha to tell the others that they were leaving, but told them the reason was their concern for Kagome's health. They walked out the castle gates and the rest of the journey was taken in the air. The arrangements had not changed.

When the party arrived back at the western castle, Sesshomaru picked up Kagome, who had once again fallen asleep against his leg, and carried her to her room. He laid her gently on the bed and turned to leave, but he was stopped by a small voice.

"Sesshomaru..." Kagome began. Sesshomaru turned to look at her. Kagome was sitting up and staring at her hands.

"What do you need, Kagome?" Sesshomaru asked. Kagome hesitated for a few seconds.

"Arigato." she whispered softly. Kagome's face was hidden behind her bangs, but he could smell the salt from her tears and he could see them drop onto her comforter.

"You're welcome." Sesshomaru turned around and left, figuring that Kagome needed some alone time. Kagome slid out of her bed and locked the door behind him, then went over to the glass doors that lead to her balcony and locked those as well. She returned to her bed and climbed under the covers. Kagome layed there for what seemed to her like eternity before she finally drifted into sleep.

_All I know is that it feels like forever_

_But no one ever tells you that forever feels like home_

_Sitting all alone inside your head._

_**Kagome's Dream**_

_Kagome was running down a corridor, wearing her old school uniform. She was looking for something, or trying to get away from something, but had no clue what it was. It was dark, with the only sound being the sound of her own footsteps._

_Kagome rounded a corner and heard a door open further down the hall. She hurried back into the other hall and peered around the edge of the wall. A dark figure had come out of the room. It turned around and locked the door, then turned and started walking towards Kagome. It was a man, from what Kagome could tell, and he was rather tall. His eyes held some sort of strange glow, making it easy for Kagome to see their deep red color._

_"Who are you?"_

_"You know very well who I am, ma peche."_

_Kagome's breath hitched in her throat and her body tensed. She slowly backed away from the corner as the man came around it. He stared intently at her. Kagome shifted under his unsettling gaze. His eyes flashed and he grabed her wrist. Kagome gasped and tried to yank her hand away, but to no avail._

_"Se jai dit que vous avais un beau corps ferait voule tunez contre moi, ma peche?"_

_"I have no idea what you just said, but I'm guessing it was something perverted, you hentai." Kagome answered. The man smirked._

_"I'll take that as a 'no'." Ozai raised her arm up and drove his other had strait through her stomach. Kagome screamed as the surroundings faded and she fell into blackness._

_**End Dream**_

Sesshomaru had been lying in his chambers. He was awake when Kagome's screams broke the still silence of the night. He jumped up and rushed out the door and to Kagome's room, but it was locked. InuYasha, Sango, Miroku, Yukana, and Kaori were gathered outside the young miko's room.

"Kaori, give me your keys." Sesshomaru ordered. Kaori gasped and made a small noise.

"I don't have them with me, Sesshomaru-sama. They're back in my room." Kaori admitted. Sesshomaru mentally scowled and came up with another plan, instead. He backed up and ran at the door, shoving his shoulder into it. The hinges broke under the tremendous force and the door fell to the ground.

Sesshomaru wasted no time and hurried to Kagome's bed. He took hold of her shoulders and shook her awake. Kagome's eyes shot open and her hands went directly to her stomach, making sure there were no injurys. She was covered in sweat and her nose had begun to bleed, the blood trickling over her lips and chin before falling onto the bed.

Kaori walked over with a hankerchief and handed it to Kagome. Kagome took it and held it to her nose, although eventually the blood began to seep through the small cloth.

"Kagome, what happened." Yukana asked. Kagome shook her head and started to rock back and forth. Everything went silent for the next few minutes while Kagome took care of her nose. Yukana realised that Kagome wouldn't talk with all of them there, but she couldn't blame the young miko, either.

"Uh...guys...Kaori and I need help with something." Yukana said. "Do you mind lending us a hand?" Sango, Miroku, and InuYasha nodded and followed Yukana and Kaori out the door, or at least what was left of it.

"Okay, I'm confused..." Miroku announced as they walked out the door.

"Not now!" Yukana whispered fiercly. Her and Kaori led the group to a small room at the end of the corridor and shoved them into it, closing the door behind them.

"Hey, what's going on?" InuYasha demanded.

"The only way Kagome would say anything to anyone is if there is only one person in there." Kaori stated.

"Yeah, there were just too many people."

"Alright, I know you girls have something planned." Miroku said smugly. "I want to know the details."

-----------------------------------------------------------------

"Kagome."

"I'm sorry." Kagome whispered, avoiding Sesshomaru's gaze. "It was my fault. I didn't think. I saw it...in his eyes and I just..." Kagome trailed off. She raised her head and looked directly into Sesshomaru's eyes.

"What are you trying to say, Kagome?" Sesshomaru asked. Kagome closed her eyes and brought her knees to her chest.

"I need you to tell me something, Sesshomaru." Kagome said. She averted her gaze to stare at the wall across from her bed.

"What is it?"

"I need you to tell me...to tell me everything's going to be okay." A look of suprise flashed across Sesshomaru's usually emotionless face. He pulled her into his arms and rested his chin on the top of her head.

"Everything is going to be okay." Kagome whimpered and snuggled closer to Sesshomaru.

"Please don't leave me. I don't want to be alone." she pleaded.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

AR: Wouldn't this be the perfect place to stop? Imagine all of the angry readers...

K: Hey! You can't just stop!

AR: And why not?

K: Uh...because...

AR: You're having fun snuggling with Sesshomaru! Isn't that right?!

K: Yea-no! What gave you an idea like that?!

AR: Sure...

Y: Hey, AR, don't you have homework that you're supposed to be doing?

AR: As a matter of fact...I do. Sorry Kagome. I have to do homework!

Se: Indeed. I wouldn't trust Angel as far as I could throw her.

Y: Yeah, and that's pretty far!

AR: Hey! Well, people, sorry it was so short, but I have "homework" that needs my utmost attention. Toodles!

Review!!!!!!!!


	15. A Slow Day

AR: Hey people! How did y'all like my last chapter?

K: It ended so soon!

AR: I think we established that in the last chapter, Kagome. Weren't you listening to me when I said that?

K: Uh...

AR: I'll take that as a 'no'...

K: I was so listening!

AR: Sure, you were listening, but not to me. You were listening to your head that was telling you something about _Sesshomaru_. Ooh, Kagome!

K: Hey! Do you know what people say about assuming things, AR?

AR: Yup yup. It makes an ass of you and me! But, I'm right, so I don't care!

K: I...uh...hey!

Y: Kagome...AR! You weren't lying! Look at her face!

Ka: Yeah, it's beet red.

K: -sighs and runs out of the room-

Se: What an interesting argument...

AR: Oh, Dust Bunny...we haven't even begun to rag on you!

Katara: Well, while these guys argue this out, which, by the way, AR may just win, I'll just introduce the chapter for you.

AR: No! I wanna introduce it! We can continue this while the chapter is going on! I'm gonna keep this short, so here's the chapter and anything that is copywrited, it's not mine. Happy reading! And now back to our previous discussion...

-------------------------------------------------------------------

_I learned from you that_

_I do not crumble_

_I learned that strength is_

_Something you choose_

_All of the reasons_

_You keep on believing_

_There's no question_

_That's a lesson_

_I learned from you_

_(Miley and Billy Ray Cyrus: I Learned From You)_

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Don't Fall Away

Chapter Fifteen: A Slow Day

It took a few moments for Kagome's plea to register in Sesshomaru's mind. He then realised that her spirit had cracked. Sesshomaru held her tighter.

"Do not worry." he said softly. "I will not leave you...ever."

"Do you promise? If that was a promise you just made me...you can't break it, Sesshomaru...ever."

"I _never_ break a promise, Kagome." Sesshomaru reassured her. Kagome smiled into his chest and let a few tears slip down her cheeks.

"Thank you."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ozai burst through the doors of the southern palace, almost throwing them off of their hinges, and called the closest servant. The young girl rushed over and fell at his feet. She could sense his anger and didn't want to make it worse.

"Take my stuff to my chambers, you useless wench." Ozai demanded harshly. "And don't touch anything!"

"Y-yes milord." the girl stammered. She scrambled to get off the floor, but Ozai seemed to think she was being slow. He picked her up by the back of her uniform and threw her out the door.

"Sesshomaru, that bastard. I will get what I want, even if I have to start a war against the West to do it."

"Milord, there is a letter for you." another female servant said. She took a small roll of parchment from inside her sleeve and handed it to Ozai.

Ozai snatched the document away from her and opened it. As he got further into the letter, his smirk grew larger. He rolled it back up.

"I'm leaving again. Sousha is in charge." With that said, he turned and strode out the door.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kagome awoke the next morning with a splitting headache. She moaned and rolled over, pulling the blankets over her head. She would have been able to fall back to sleep had she not needed to go to the bathroom. Kagome sighed and slipped out of her bed. She put on a simple white kimono with sakura flowers on the shoulders and lining the bottom of it and tied Rekuiemu to her obi.

A few moments after Kagome had relieved herself, she had decided to pay a visit to the library. It was still rather early, so the only living things in the halls were the servants and a guard here and there. Every now and then, a guard would stare. Kagome quickened her pace and only slowed down when they were far enough away that she could only faintly feel thier aura.

_'Is this what I am resorting to?'_ Kagome asked herself. _'Have I been defiled so bad as to forever be afraid of the opposite sex?'_ Kagome stopped walking. She looked strait ahead of herself with an expression of determination and defiance. She thought of all her friends and she knew that they would be there for her, no matter what. She then thought of Sesshomaru, he would be there as well; he promised her that he would.

"No." Kagome said aloud, as if to convince herself more. "That will not happen to me, I won't let that happen to me."

Kagome continued walking, keeping her hard expression and telling herself that it would never happen, over and over again. She soon arrived at the library and pulled open the large mahogony doors. The library was a large and brightly lit room, at least three stories high, with shelves and shelves filled with infinite numbers of books and scrolls. Kagome walked along the shelves, pulling out books at random intervals. She finally chose one and made herself comfortable in an upholstered chair, letting her legs hang over one arm and propping her head up with her elbow on the other.

Kagome lost track of how long she had been there and had gotten so into her book that she didn't hear the footsteps heading for her sanctuary. When she heard the door open, she looked up from her already half finished book. When she realized who it was, Kagome returned her attention to the volume in her hand.

"Hello, Yukana." Kagome greeted. "What do ya want?"

"Kami, Kagome. You almost gave us a heart attack!" Yukana exclaimed.

"What did I do?" Kagome asked, looking up from the pages of her book.

"You disappeared! We had no idea where you went." Yukana explained, shaking her head. "I better go tell everyone else that I found you."

"Okay." Kagome shrugged and continued her reading. Yukana gaped at Kagome, wondering how she could just wave something like that aside, even if it did seem a trivial matter, they had almost panicked when she wasn't in her bed when Kaori went to wake her up. The other demoness shook her head and left, leaving Kagome to her book.

_I don't know how else to put this_

_It's taken me so long to do this_

_I'm falling asleep and I can't see strait_

_My muscles feel like a melee_

_My body's curled in a U shape_

_I put on my best but I'm still afraid_

_Propped up by lies and promises_

_Saving my place as life forgets_

_Maybe it's time I saw the world_

_I'm only here for a while_

_But patience is not my style_

_And I'm so tired that I got to go_

_Where am I supposed to hide now?_

_What am I supposed to do?_

_Did you really think I wouldn't see this through?_

_Tell me I should stick around for you_

_Tell me I can have it all_

_I'm still too tired to care and I got to go_

_I get to go home in one week_

_But I'm leaving home in three weeks_

_They throw me a bone just to pick me dry_

_I'm following suit and directions_

_I curl up inside for protection_

_I'm told what to do and I don't know why_

_I'm overexisting in limbo_

_I'm over the myths and placebos_

_I don't really mind if I just fade away_

_I'm ready to live with my family_

_I'm ready to die in obscurity_

_'Cause I'm so tired that I got to go_

_Where am I supposed to hide now?_

_What am I supposed to do?_

_You still don't think I'm gonna see this through?_

_Tell me I'm a part of history_

_Tell me I can have it all_

_I'm still too tired to care and I got to go_

_Oh yeah_

_Oh yeah yeah yeah yeah._

_Still too tired to care and I gotta go_

_Still too tired to care and I gotta go_

_Still too tired to care and I gotta go_

_Yeah, yeah_

_Still to tired to care and I gotta go_

_Go home_

_Still to tired to care and I gotta go_

_Yeah yeah_

_Still to tired to care and I gotta go_

Kagome sighed and closed the book. She then rose from her chair and walked outside and onto the balcony. The miko-inuyoukai closed her eyes and leaned on the rails, breathing deeply and letting the scent of the garden below cleanse her senses.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"This is an interesting development."

"Indeed. Kanna, you are dismissed. Send Kurayami in here." The small girl nodded and walked out. A few moments later Kurayami walked through the arch that led to Naraku's "office".

"What do you want this time?" she spat.

"Watch your tounge, wench." Naraku warned. "You did not kill the miko, why?"

"I didn't feel like it." Kurayami stated simply. "Besides, the miko would be more use to you alive."

Naraku got a thoughtful look on his face. Kurayami smirked. _'Yes, fall right into it, Naraku. Your stupidity will be your downfall.'_

"Explain what you are thinking." Naraku ordered.

"'Tis simple." Kurayami began. "I happened to catch a little moment between your miko and the taiyoukai. If you take her out of the picture, you'll hit him in his weak spot."

"I like the way you think, but how are we to get her away from them?"

"Her weakness lies with the children and her group." the demoness reasoned. "Did it ever occur to you that threatening them would make her come willingly?"

"You are a sharp one, Kurayami. It is a shame that you hate me so." Kurayami rolled her eyes in disgust. Naraku turned to the other man.

"After we have the troublesome wench, what do you suggest we do with her? We cannot kill her." Naraku said. The other man's eyes flashed.

"I would have no objections if she were to be kept with me." he answered.

"Then it's settled. Kurayami, you are dismissed." Naraku announced. "I will waive your punishment _this time_. Let me tell you that the next time you disobey a direct order, you will wish that I let you die when your village was attacked."

"I've been wishing you let me die for a while." Kurayami stated defiantly. She turned on her heel and walked out of the room.

"I would have beheaded that girl ages ago, if I were you." the other man said.

"So would I, but she had the potential to be of use to me."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kagome left the library a few minutes later. It had to be around lunch time, but she really wasn't hungry, so Kagome figured it wouldn't hurt to test out her sword on something in the woods.

_'So now you're looking for trouble?'_

_'Of course not. I'm going to let trouble find me.'_

_'Why?'_

_'I need something to test this thing out on.'_

_'I know what else you could be doing.'_

_'And what, pray tell, would that be?'_

_'You could always keep up on your end of the deal and start training the apprentice mikos.'_

_'I could do that...but isn't Sakurako still in the hospital wing?'_

_'Then you could always go visit her.'_

_'Why would I want to do that?'_

_'Let's see...maybe because you put her there in the first place?'_

_'It is such a shame when you have a fight with yourself...and lose!'_

_'Hehehe...now get going.'_

_'Fine, but you had better leave me alone before I get there, or I might just change my mind.'_

_'Deal. I'm out now. Toodles!'_

Kagome sighed and turned around. She hated when her conscience won. She had really wanted to test Rekuiemu, but after she thought about it, she couldn't fight with a sword anyway, so it was kind of a good thing that she had lost the argument.

Kagome walked up and knocked on the door. A few moments later the door opened and revealed the castle's healer, Moonle.

"What can I do for you, Lady Kagome?" Moonle asked.

"I have come to see Sakurako. Is she still here?"

"Yes, right this way, milady." Moonle opened the door fully and let Kagome in. She then led her into a back room.

Sakurako was laying on a futon, wide awake. She glared at Kagome when she walked in. Moonle bowed slightly and left the small room.

"Have you come to finish me off?" Sakurako asked bitterly. Kagome frowned.

"No, I came to see if you were okay." Kagome stated. Sakurako looked at her with a confused expression on her face.

"You did?"

"Yes."

"But I thought that you hated me." Sakurako admitted.

"I never said that I hated you, Sakurako." Kagome said.

"You never said you didn't, either." Sakurako muttered.

"My personal opinion of you was just that you needed to learn a little bit of respect and self-restraint. To tell you the truth, I didn't like you, but I didn't hate you either."

"Oh...sorry." Sakurako said sheepishly. "But I have to do this. I need to do this so that my dad will be proud of me. He always told me that I was a mistake and that I would never amount to anything. I have to show him that I _can_ do something worthwhile." Kagome smiled softly at the girl and nodded.

"Well, in that case, we'll start as soon as you feel better." Kagome reassured her with a smile. "Good luck." Kagome stood up and left the small room.

"Leaving so soon?" Moonle asked.

"Yeah, I have to go speak with Sesshomaru reguarding Sakurako." Kagome said, smiling. Moonle nodded and Kagome walked out the door.

Considering that it was the middle of the day, the halls were rather empty. Kagome made her way to Sesshomaru's study, the most obvious place where she should look first. She knocked on the door, but there was no answer.

"That's strange...he's usually in there..." Kagome said to herself. She shrugged and decided to find Rin and Shippo instead. On her way to Rin's room, Kagome passed by Sango's room. She heard multiple voices so she walked over and put her ear to the door.

"Do you think she'll be okay?" Sango asked.

"I don't know...she seemed a bit off when I saw her earlier." Yukana said. "She really didn't seem to care that we had been looking for her all day. And yesterday she screamed bloody murder when InuYasha went to pick her up."

"Why would she do that?" Kaori inquired.

"How am I supposed to know?" Yukana snapped. "All I know is that Sesshomaru said he wants her under constant watch from now on."

"Then why is nobody watching her?" Miroku cut in.

"Uh..."

"Because she's standing outside the door." Tanrei said, examining her claws.

"What?! Why didn't you say something earlier?" Yukana exclaimed.

"I thought you knew." Tanrei stated simply.

Kagome heard rustling and then somebody trip.

"Ow! Yukana! You stepped on my foot!"

A few moments later, Yukana opened the door and came face to face with a rather confused Kagome. Yukana sweatdropped.

"Oh...hi, Kagome. Do you need anything." Yukana asked, scratching the back of her neck. Kagome nodded.

"Have any of you seen Sesshomaru?" Kagome asked. Yukana shrugged.

"I saw him a few hours ago." Kaori offered. "He was heading for the dojo."

"Okay. I'll see all of you later, then." Kagome turned around and headed for the dojo.

"Wow...usually she would have yelled at somebody...she is acting strange."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

AR: Well, I'm done now!

IY: Is it me or are you getting lazy in your old age?

AR: Hey! I'm not old!

IY: Sure, you're not...

AR: Kagome!

Se: She left, remember?

AR: Oh...well maybe I am getting old...and senile!!!!! I don't wanna go crazy!

Y: Too late...

AR: Do you guys wanna know what happened the last time somebody made me mad?

Ka: Is that a threat, AR?

AR: They ended up in the hospital and I was expelled.

Y: Uh...are you serious...Sesshomaru, get her away from me!

AR: Haha! I was kidding, you idiot.

Ka: That was a mean joke, AR!

AR: -smirks-

M: Hey, Angel-sama...don't you have another story going as well? I believe it only has one chapter and you promised another one a while ago.

AR: I said that I would get it out eventually. Besides, I have no ideas for that story! And I thought I told you to stop calling me 'Angel-sama'?

M: Hehehe...should I run?

S: Yes.

M: -runs-

AR: Well, I'm going to catch the monk. Toodles! -runs after Miroku-

Se: She's such an idiot.

AR: I heard that!


	16. Kiss the Girl

AR: So, hows life treating you lately, Yukana?

Y: It's okay, I guess.

IY: So that's how you were gonna start this skit, then. I thought that you were running out of ideas there for a while. Wait a minute...YOU ARE!

AR: Hey, InuYasha...do you want me to call Kagome in here?

IY: Is that a threat? It's not a very good one.

AR: No, my dear InuYasha! It's not a threat! Why would I threaten you? It's a promise.

IY: Feh, whatever.

AR: Kagome!!!! InuYasha is being mean to me!!!!

K: -comes into the room- InuYasha, what are you doing to Requiem?

IY: I'm not doing anything! She started it!

Se: Lying never did anything for anyone.

AR: Thanks for the support Dust Bunny!

Se: Indeed.

K: Stop picking on AR, InuYasha. Sit!

IY: Gah! -wham!-

AR: Haha!

IY: I hate all of you.

Se: The feeling is mutual, believe me.

AR: Remember, people: no fighting in my bedroom!

IY: WE KNOW ALREADY!!! WOULD YOU JUST SHUT UP YOU USELESS WENCH!!??

K: InuYasha!!!! SIT, SIT, SIT, SIT, SIT, SIT...shit...I broke a nail...I BLAME YOU INUYASHA!

AR: -on the floor laughing her head off-

M: -cowering in the corner-

S: Maybe this should be my new hobby...well, since demon slaying isn't going so well.

AR: -in background putting mother's panties on the dog-

Dog: -whimpers-

AR: Kagome! Give him a wedgie while he's down!

K: Okay! -jerks InuYasha's underpants up with jumper cables-

IY: -shocked and has a wedgie- OWWW!

AR: InuYasha...why are you wearing my underwear? HEY! Those are my favorite pair!

D.A.Gray: Hey InuYasha, guess what?

IY: -grunts-

DAG: I named your shwing-shwong 'Bob'...and when you see AR it goes-

IY: Gah! Why are you naming my body parts!?

AR: GAH! DEVIN SHUT UP!!!!!

DAG: ...poink poink!

AR: In _my_ underwear??? EWWWWWWW! INUYASHA, DEVIN, GET OUT!!

Se: Now she has to burn that pair.

AR: Dust Bunny!!! You're not helping!

Se: Indeed.

AR: Shut up before I make Devin name yours!

DAG: OH! Do you want me to?

AR: ...I'm surrounded by idiots...

M: -rummaging through AR's underwear drawer-

AR: Miroku! Well...he's lucky that I don't actually keep my underwear in my underwear drawer, I keep random trinkets in it!

K: Why?

AR: Because I have him in here every day.

Y: Then how did InuYasha get your favorite pair?

AR: They were in the dirty clothes pile.

K: EWW! I touched them!!! InuYasha, you are so GROSS!!!

IY: How was I supposed to know they were dirty?!

AR: You weren't supposed to wear them in the first place, you sicko!

M: -still digging in AR's underwear drawer- What's this?

AR: Uh...mine.

DAG: I know what it is! It's a-

AR: Devin!!!!!

DAG: Oh...was I supposed to stay quiet?

Y: Oh, I pity you, AR.

Se: As do I.

M: Success!! -digging in AR's pillowcase-

AR: Gah! -mutters to self- Now I have to hide them in my sister's room...

Kimberley: -walks in- Angel, why was your bra behind my tv?

AR: ...that's not mine...Kimmika, why was your bra behind your tv?

Kim: Whatever. -throws it in the hamper and leaves-

M: You didn't say that you had a sister...-grins pervertedly-

AR: Leave her alone, she's a minor.

Kim: -comes back in- Angel...why are these people in your bedroom? Oooh, Angel, you have boys in here. I won't tell, though, just keep your personal items out of my bedroom.

AR: Will do.

Kim: -takes a seat on the bed- So, what's shakin' Miroku?

M: -sigh- You're a minor.

Kim: 'Ya think?

Se: -reading AR's notebook- Why are you having a conversation with yourself in your notebook?

AR: Because I can.

Se: And why am I in it?

AR: It's more fun to talk to myself if there is the illusion of more people. And put that down.

Se: Why did I help the monk suggest strip poker?

AR: PUT THAT DOWN!

Kim: I love you, Angel, but sometimes you are such an idiot.

AR: Uh...

Kim: -walks over to InuYasha- Do you have a tail?

IY: Back away before I chop your head off.

Kim: Hey! I have a weapon, too! I'll go get Rin!

Se: What would Rin do?

Kim: -comes back in with a samaurai sword and kamas-

AR: Haha.

Kim: Hiya! I challenge you to a fight!

AR: -looks at Kim-

Kim: Fine. Outside. You probably need your walk, anyways. -grabs a leash- C'mon boy.

K: -falls off bed-

M: Let's play strip poker.

Se: Hn...

Patrick: Hey goof.

AR: Oh! Hi Patrick!

Kim: -comes back in- Angel, InuYasha didn't use the bathroom outside, so watch for odd colored water puddles.

AR: Well, I'm gonna start the chapter now so I can talk to Patrick!

M: And play strip poker.

AR: Whatever. But, anyway, my people are mine and Takahashi-sama's people are hers! That should suffice for now, so have fun with the chapter.

-------------------------------------------------------------

_I've been searching for a man_

_All across Japan_

_Just to find, to find my samurai_

_Someone who is strong_

_But still a little shy_

_Yes I need, I need my samurai_

_(Butterfly Remix: Dance Dance Revolution Extreme 2)_

--------------------------------------------------------------

Don't Fall Away

Chapter Sixteen: Kiss the Girl

Kagome strolled casually outside. She took her time getting to the dojo, since she really didn't see any immediate need to talk to Sesshomaru. Besides, she needed time to concentrate on her thoughts. Sure, she had spent her entire morning in the library, but Kagome's mind had been on figuring out the meaning behind the words of the book, not that it was hard, but still.

"I wonder what would happen if I just wandered off..." Kagome said to herself.

_"I don't know, Kagome."_ Kagome started and almost fell over at the sound of another person's voice. She stared, wide-eyed, at the little girl.

"Nephilim...you scared me." Kagome said bluntly. Nephilim blinked.

_"She still needs your help."_ she said, in her usual cryptic manner. _"He won't let her go."_

"Please, Nephilim, my mind isn't working right now." Kagome said impatiently. "Will you just tell me what is going on?"

_"I cannot help you face your problems; I can only help you figure them out."_ Nephilim replied. Kagome was silent, waiting for her to go on.

Nephilim studied Kagome closely. Her eyes had lost some of the light that they had held the day she had first spoken to the young woman in front of her.

_"You are worried and afraid of what the future holds for you."_ Nephilim observed.

"I know _what_ the future holds, Nephilim, but I don't know _why_." Kagome admitted, staring at her feet.

_"I understand, Kagome, but that is a question that I am unable to help you answer, one that you will have to answer on your own."_

"Fine. But I want-"

"Kagome!" Kagome turned around at the sound of her name being called.

"Uh, hello! Wake up!" Yukana said loudly. "Did you go to Dopeville again, Kagome?"

"Huh?" Yukana looked at Kagome's blank face and burst out laughing. Kagome stared at her as if she had lost her mind. Yukana shook her head.

"I was kidding." she said. "So what are you doing? Were you just talking to yourself?"

"No. Nephilim was just...never mind."

"I thought you were going to go talk to Sesshomaru."

"I was, but I got..." Kagome started, "...sidetracked."

"Right...but, anyway, I decided that I would go with you!" Yukana said brightly. "Do you mind?"

"No, do what you will."

Kagome continued towards the dojo (-shiver- i hate that word) with Yukana following behind. Yukana stared thoughtfully at the back of Kagome's head as she walked.

"Kagome, are you okay?" Yukana asked timidly. Kagome gave no sign that she had heard her and just kept walking. Yukana stared at the back of Kagome's head.

It was a quiet walk and Kagome found it to be quite soothing, at least until Yukana started poking her in the back. She tried, with no success, to ignore the annoying sensation of the skin being pushed against her ribs, but it was unbearable.

"WHAT?!" Kagome yelled. She turned around violently, hitting Yukana in the face with her hair. Yukana lept back a few feet and grinned sheepishly. Kagome snorted and turned around, leading the rest of the way to the dojo.

They reached the dojo around two minutes later. Kagome opened the door and stepped in. A sword whizzed past her head and embedded itself in the doorframe, while she blankly watched it pass. Yukana screamed and ducked.

Sesshomaru had been sparring with his head of guard, Minzoku, and had disarmed his opponent. He did not, however, expect to hear a scream. He stopped and turned toward the door to see a frazzled Yukana standing next to Kagome, who had taken interest in the katana that had just flown past her head.

Kagome reached over and pulled the blade from it's resting place in the doorframe and handed it to Yukana. Yukana took hold of it cautiously and giggled. Then her eyes went wide and she dropped it to the ground. Kagome turned and gave her a questioning look.

"Um...sorry." Yukana said sheepishly. "I had a thought." Kagome shook her head as Yukana bent down to pick up the fallen weapon. She was overcome by giggles as she handed it to Minzoku, more like threw it at him, though.

"Yukana, why are you acting so silly?" Kagome asked. "It's just a sword."

"Uh...hm..a sword..well, I, uh..." Yukana stuttered.

"I believe I know what Yukana is hinting at, Kagome." Miroku declared, a perverted look perfectly at home on his face. Kagome jumped.

"Stop coming out of nowhere, all of you!" Kagome gasped. Sesshomaru stared at Kagome. She had come for a reason and, with his natural curiosity, he wanted to know.

"What did you require, Kagome?"

"Oh, right. I just wanted to tell you that I talked to Sakurako." Kagome declared. "She said that Moonle told her she would be fine in a few days so she should be able to continue with her training." Sesshomaru nodded.

"Is that all?"

"Yeah. I'm going back to bed, now." Kagome announced. She turned around and walked away.

"I hate it when she does that." Miroku stated.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Kagome had returned to her room within a few minutes. She changed into her pajamas and layed in her bed, trying to get some extra sleep. It took a while, but sleep eventually overtook her.

_Kagome's Dream_

_"Nephilim, what do you want from me?" Kagome pleaded. "I need you to tell me: how am I supposed to help her?"_

_"I'm sorry, Kagome, but I cannot tell you, I can only help you figure it out." Nephilim informed her._

_"Can you at least tell me her name?"_

_"Yes, that I am able to do. Her name is Kurayami."_

_"I don't understand...if she is the one that I am supposed to help, who is helping me help her?" Kagome asked._

_"You will soon find out." Nephilim stated. "He has been right in front of you the entire time."_

_"InuYasha?" Kagome guessed._

_"No."_

_"Who, then?"_

_"Look deep into you heart, Kagome." Nephilim ordered. Kagome closed her eyes and relaxed her muscles. An image flashed before her eyes._

_Kagome's breath hitched in her throat and her eyes shot open. A look of pure shock had made its way onto her face._

_"Sesshomaru." Kagome whispered. Nephilim nodded._

_"You are suprised." she stated._

_"Why shouldn't I be?!" Kagome exclaimed. "Why would Sesshomaru help me; he has nothing to gain from it."_

_"That is where you are mistaken, Kagome. However, I cannot answer your question. It will all be answered in time."_

_"Figures..."_

_"Kagome."_

_"What?" Kagome looked at the little girl, curiosity evident on her face._

_"Wake up."_

_End Dream_

Kagome awoke with a start and looked around her room. It was dark outside and the castle was abnormally quiet. Kagome slipped out of her bed and threw on a robe.

"It's so quiet..."

She could hear everything, from Rin's quiet breathing in the next room to the flies crawling on the walls. She could even hear her blood pumping through her veins.

Kagome exited the room and walked, bare-footed, through the halls. She had suddenly become restless, so she decided to go into the garden since she would be able to do almost anything without waking anybody up.

The moon cast a silver light over the lush garden. The soft glow of th beautiful night eased Kagome's restlessness and also served as a source of comfort, relieving all of the stress that had built up ober the course of the past few days. Kagome sighed in content and sat down in the middle of the courtyard.

_There you see her_

_Sitting there across the way_

_She don't got a lot to say_

_But there's something about her_

_And you don't know why_

_But you're dying to try_

_You wanna kiss the girl_

"What are you doing out so late, Kagome?" The young miko jumped and turned her head.

"Kami, Sesshomaru, don't do that!" Kagome said breathlessly, resting her hand over her chest. "You scared me half to death."

Sesshomaru nodded and lowered himself to sit directly across from Kagome. Kagome knew that he wanted to talk and what about, but the subject still made her rather uncomfortable.

"It has come to my attention that you have not been acting as you would under any normal circumstances." Sesshomaru explained, cutting right to the point, as he did more often than not. Kagome shifted her weight to her arm and averted her gaze in favor of staring at her knees.

_Yes, you want her_

_Look at her you know you do_

_It's possible she wants you too_

_There is one way to ask her_

_It don't take a word, not a single word_

_Go on and kiss the girl_

"It's nothing, I'm fine." she said softly. "I'm just a little tired, that's all."

"If you were tired, you would be in bed." Sesshomaru stated. "But since you spent the majority of your day sleeping, there is no reason why you should still need rest."

_Shalalalala_

_My oh my_

_Looks like the boy's too shy_

_Ain't gonna kiss the girl_

_Shalalalala_

_Ain't that sad_

_It's such a shame, too bad_

_You're gonna miss the girl_

_Go on and kiss the girl_

"I don't know why, I just am." Kagome defended, though a little half-heartedly.

"You're not a very good liar." Sesshomaru said bluntly, an almost playful glint dancing around in his hypnotic gaze. Had Kagome been anyone else, and had she actually been looking at him, she would have missed it.

_Now's your moment_

_Floating in a blue lagoon_

_Boy, you better do it soon_

_No time will be better_

_She don't say a word_

_And she won't say a word_

_Until you kiss the girl_

Kagome let a small smile grace her features and she looked up, slightly suprised at all of the emotion swirling in his golden depths. She tilted her head curiously, still smiling cutely.

_'She has such a pretty smile.'_

"So why are _you_ out here?" Kagome asked shrewdly.

"It calms the senses." Sesshomaru declared. Kagome nodded in understanding before returning to her previous action of staring at her knees.

_Shalalalala_

_My oh my_

_Looks like the boy's too shy_

_Ain't gonna kiss the girl_

_Shalalalala_

_Ain't that sad_

_It's such a shame_

_Too bad, you're gonna miss the girl_

Sesshomaru placed his hand under her chin and lifted her face so that she was, once again, looking into his eyes.

_Shalalalala_

_Don't be scared_

_You better be prepared_

_Go on and kiss the girl_

_Shalalalala_

_Don't stop now_

_Don't try to hide it how_

_You wanna kiss the girl_

_Go on and kiss the girl_

_(Kiss the girl)_

_(Oh, ohnoo...)_

_Lalalala, lalalala_

_Go on and kiss the girl_

_Lalalala, lalalala_

_Go on and kiss the girl_

"If you talk, I'll listen." he told her.

Kagome was taken aback by the offer and stared at him, wide-eyed, as he held her chin in his steady grip. She could feel the heat rushin to her cheeks and she knew that there was a deep red blush staining her complection.

_Shalalalala_

_My oh myyyyy_

_Looks like the boy's too shy_

_Ain't gonna kiss the girl_

_Shalalalala_

_Ain't that sad_

_It's such a shame, too bad_

_You're gonna miss the girl_

_Lalalala, lalalala_

_(Go on and kiss the girl)_

_Go on and kiss the girl_

_Lalalala, lalalala_

_(Go on and kiss the girl)_

_Go on and kiss the girl_

_Kiss the girl_

_(Kiss the girl)_

They both instictively leaned foreward. Kagome could feel his hot breath caressing her flushed face before their lips met.

_Go on and...kiss the girl _

Her eyes closed and her troubles were forgotten as Sesshomaru pulled Kagome into his lap, laying small butterfly kisses on her jawline and down her neck. Kagome let out a soft, barely audible, moan and turned her head, giving him better access.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

_'Finally!'_

Yukana noislessly sped away from her window and down the hall to Kaori's room. She didn't even bother knocking and burst into the room, startling Kaori, who was reading a book that Kagome had leant her.

"Yukana, what are you doing?"

"It finally happened!" Yukana almost screamed in her excitement. Kaori's eyes went wide and her jaw dropped.

"By 'it' you mean...?" Yukana nodded her head enthusiastically and Kaori broke into a wide grin.

"We have to tell Sango!" Both bolted out of the room, Kaori's book now forgotten, and hastened to Sango's chambers at the other end of the hall.

Once again, knocking was thrown aside as they threw the door open and jumped on poor Sango's sleeping form. Sango awoke and almost fell off the bed.

"What are you two doing?! You almost gave me a heart attack!" she scolded.

"Oh, you're going to love this!" Kaori exclaimed. "Yukana saw it! It finally happened!"

"You don't mean they...kissed?" Sango stuttered. Yukana and Kaori both nodded and Sango thought that their heads were going to fall off of their necks.

"I counted 12 inuyoukai seconds (think Mississippi seconds, people)." Yukana announced proudly.

"Wow...it makes it sound like they've been wanting to do that for ages." Sango said thoughtfully.

"Well, I'm going to bed now." Yukana announced. "There is no longer a reason for me to stay up. Oyasumi, Sango, Kaori." Yukana hopped off the bed and walked out the still open door.

"Yeah, I'm going to retire as well." Kaori said. "Oyasumi, Sango."

"Oyasumi." Kaori closed the door behind her and Sango rolled over, pulling the covers over her head. Her last thought was of how they could get Kagome and Sesshomaru to admit their feelings, then she drifted off to the dreamland that was taken away from her so rudely when Yukana and Kaori jumped on her.

--------------------------------------------------------------

K: I think that the readers liked the beginning skit more than the actual chapter.

AR: Hey!

Kim: Haha.

M: -slides over next to Kim and reaches hand out-

Kim: Gah! I'm a minor! -whack-

M: Oh...I forgot...-sits next to AR instead-

P: So who are all of these people, gril?

AR: Oh...I'll tell you later, bubble head.

P: Okay, goof.

Kim: -looks at InuYasha- Are you still wearing Angel's underpants?

IY: No, I took those off a little while ago.

K: Yeah, and then Angel burned them.

Kim: Uh...where was I during all of this?

Se: Arguing with the half-breed over something to the effect of him insulting you.

Kim: Oh.

Y: Sesshomaru, talk nice about your half-brother.

Se: -picks up AR's cell phone and starts playing Tetris-

M: -has Kim's picture phone and takes a picture of AR's butt as she gets up-

AR: -sits down with a bowl of peirogies-

Kim: -whispers to AR- Sesshomaru is mean. Why do you like him again?

AR: -spits out her soda- What?

Se: -clears his throat-

P: -bursts out laughing-

IY: -playing on cieling fan and falls off when Kagome turns it on HIGH-

K: Oh, sorry InuYasha...I didn't know you were up there.

IY: Yeah, right.

Kim: Wow...I now realize the power of words.

AR's dad: -in the living room- I want a Big Mac...

AR and Kim: Uh...what?

All others: What's a Big Mac?

M: That sounds kinky.

AR: -rests head in hands and shakes it-

Kim: Don't worry, Angel, I feel your pain.

Y: Hey, Angel...your dad is out there, so shouldn't we be in your closet?

AR: No. My dad doesn't care.

DAG: Hey, Angel! You have, like, a Hannah Montana closet!

Kim: -grabs AR and runs into her room- She's mine!

AR: Haha...

DAG: -follows-

Kim: -comes back a few minutes later-

Ka: Kim...where is AR?

Kim: -grins evily- I locked Angel in my closet.

Se: -slips out of the room and rescues AR-

M: -snooping again- Hey, there's a bathroom through this door.

Kim: Duh.

M: And there's a door on the other side of it.

Kim: Duh.

M: -goes through- Gah! There's a bedroom in here!

Kim: 'Ya think? That's my room.

IY: To Kim's room...AWAY!!!!

AR: -sitting on Kim's top bunk with Sesshomaru-

Y: Wow, Kim, your bed has two levels.

Kim: And now you win the Nobel Prize. Good job.

IY: -pokes the guinea pig-

GP: WEEEEEEEEEEEP!

IY: Where is its tail? -starts feeling around its butt-

AR: InuYasha...that's its butt hole that you are rubbing...

Kim: Sexual harassment!!!! -picks up guinea pig-

IY: -sniffs hand-

K: I'm clean, I'm clean!!

Kirara: Mewl.

M: -playing with the hermit crab-

Kim: You had better put that down, Miroku, before it pinches you.

M: -looks away from hermit crab and it crawls up his sleeve and falls down, pinches shwing-shwong- OWWWWWWWW!

AR: -almost falls off the bed, laughing so hard-

P: -sitting on top bunk with AR and Sesshomaru-

M: -on the floor crying-

Kim: So, how do y'all like my room?

IY: Suck it up, Miroku.

GP: -bites InuYasha-

IY: Hey! -goes to punch guinea pig in head-

AR: -throws Sesshomaru's shoe at him-

IY: -direct hit, face goes blank- The farmer in the dell, the farmer in the dell, hi-ho the dario, the farmer in the dell!

Se: Now I will have to burn that...

K: Well, he's finally lost it...

IY: We all live in a yellow submarine, yellow submarine, yellow submarine...

M: -digging in Kim's underwear drawer- Now here's a normal person. See, AR? Her underwear are in the right place. Ooh...these are red and leathery.

DAG: That's kinky!

Kim: Whatever. -throws hermit crab at him-

M: -panic attack-

AR: Hahaha...

P: Now all we need are the potato chips and dip!

DAG: And the cards!

AR: For what?

DAG: Strip poker!

Kim: And I thought my life couldn't get any more confusing.

S: What do you mean?

Kim: My sister had to bring all of you people into my life and now I have to keep the secret!

AR: Well, it's about time to wrap this up, people.

Kim: Right.

All else: -leave-

M: -dragging InuYasha by his feet-

IY: Michael row your boat ashore. Hallelujah. Micheal row your boat ashore. Hallelujah.

M: -idiotic grin- Micheal got himself a whore. Hallelujah. Micheal got himself a whore. Hallelujah.

K: -hits him over the head and draggs them both away-

AR, DAG and P: -go into AR's room-

AR: Okay, now I'm going to explain everything for you.

P: Okay.

DAG: Are you explaining to me, too?

AR: Yeah, sure, why not.

DAG: Woohoo!

AR: Oh, but first...PRESS THE PRETTY PURPLEY-BLUISH BUTTON!!!!!!


	17. Not As It Seems

K: I almost forgot how wonderful technology is!

AR: And why is that?

K: Because technology is what gave us guns!

Kim: What does that have to do with it?

DAG: How am I supposed to know?

Kim: I didn't ask _you_.

P: -playing with AR's guitar-

AR: Patrick, I want pie. Will you go get me pie?

P: Why do you want me to get you pie?

AR: Because I want pie, now go get me pie.

P: Fine, I'll get you pie. -leaves to go get AR pie-

DAG: Yo, Angel, why do you do that to poor Patrick?

AR: I'm going to be rich one of these days, so he has to get used to being ordered around now, while im not rich and it's just wishful thinking.

Se: Angel, you need help.

AR: Was that supposed to be an insult? Well, just so you know, it didn't work, 'cause I already know that I need help.

Kim: That depends on what kind of help he's talking about. See, if he says mental help, then, yes, you do need that. If he says physical help, then...well you just might need that, too.

DAG: That's kinky!

IY: -walks into Angel's room-

Kim: PUPPY!!!!!! -jumps up and pets InuYasha on the head-

IY: WILL YOU STOP THAT?!

DAG: Hey, Angel, why don't you ever do that to Sesshomaru?

AR: Um...cause Sesshomaru is more likely to chop my hand off than yell at me...

P: Angel, I'm back with your pie. -gives AR her pie-

AR: This is chocolate pie...I don't like chocolate...go get me apple pie!

P: But-

AR: Now, slave!

Kim: Don't worry, Patrick. I'll go with you. -leaves with Patrick-

AR: Um...if I don't wake up from that pie, you know who to blame...

IY: Good, she left.

AR: Hey! -whacks InuYasha over the head with the cat's litter box-

IY: Ew!

AR: KITTY BOX CRUNCHIES!!!

IY: You got that in my mouth, you psychotic-

AR: I don't think you want to finish that sentance...

Shippo: Oh, no...she's just as bad as Kagome when she gets mad...

M: Women are scary when they are angry.

Kirara: Mewl.

Sadie: Mewl.

AR: KITTY! -picks up Sadie- My pops said that I could have another kitten. I'm going to name it Spike.

K: Oh, how kawaii!

Kim: -comes back with Patrick- I'm home! I got pizza, cheese cake, Angel's pie, Cool Whip, ice cream, and dog biscuits for InuYasha. Oh, and...-pulls a kitten from her bag- a kitten for Angel!

AR: SPIKE!

IY: I hate all of you...

K: -shoves a dog biscuit in his mouth-

Y: -once again, playing Xenosaga- I hate you, Albedo...! DIE!

Ka: -watching-

Kim: Come on, Patrick, we forgot soda. -pulls Patrick back out of the room-

AR: Well, while we wait for them to get back with soda, here is the chapter for y'all! Oh, and I don't own anything, save for my sister, Yukana, Devin, Kaori, Sadie, and now Spike! Um...and don't forget Patrick.

Authoress's note: There is a little trivia question at the bottom concerning an issue (well...kinda) from the last chapter.

------------------------------------------------------------------

_She walks to school with the lunch she packed_

_Nobody knows what she's holding back_

_Wearing the same dress she wore yesterday_

_She hides the bruises with the linen and lace_

_The teacher wonders but she doesn't ask_

_It's hard to see the pain behind the mask_

_Bearing the burden of a secret storm_

_Sometimes she wishes she was never born_

_(Concrete Angel: Martina McBride)_

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Don't Fall Away

Chapter Seventeen: Not As It Seems

Kagome had remained in Sesshomaru's lap after they parted, and that was where she sat at that moment. She had taken to braiding his hair as it fell over his shoulder. To anyone who didn't know the taiyoukai personally, they would have thought that their eyes were playing tricks. It was strange, indeed, to catch the great lord of the west _cuddling_ with such a soft and gentle creature. They were both content to stay where they were, even if it was for the rest of the night.

Sesshomaru looked down at the little angel in his arms. He had come to realize that he really did love her, and he wasn't going to fight it. The thing was, he wasn't going to force her to love him, either. He knew that she was still confused over her feelings, but he hoped with all his heart that she would overlook them. There was one thing that stood in the way of this, however: InuYasha.

--------------------------------------------------------------

He hadn't seen anyone since they had returned from Lord Daijirou's lands, nor did he want to. He was still disturbed. Kagome had, in a way, rejected him. She had basically told him that he could not take care of her. At that point in time, he had wanted nothing more than to break down and cry, but he could not do that in front of Sesshomaru. If he had not had a reason to hate his brother before, he certainly did now. He got everything...his father's love and now the love of Kagome. For the first time in a long time, he could feel tears slipping down his cheeks. He could not bear that memory.

_**Flashback**_

_"Disgusting." Sesshomaru muttered. He turned and went back to Kagome, InuYasha, and Yukana. Kagome was still shaking badly, but her sobs had died down to a pathetic whimper._

_InuYasha looked at the girl on the floor. She had begun to rock back and forth and the expression she wore on her face was rather disturbing. She looked disgusted with herself, not to mention that she also found a way to mix in a look of fear and hatred. Her lips were moving, but there was no sound. He walked over to her and attempted to pick her up. She started thrashing around and screaming bloody murder. InuYasha quickly set her back down and she backed up against the wall._

_Yukana took pity on her and slowly walked up to her, trying to comfort her but Kagome didn't seem to want that, either._

_"Just get away from me!" she screamed._

_Yukana jumped back and looked over at Sesshomaru, who was standing with his eyes closed. He hadn't moved from the spot. He was taking deep breaths, as if he was trying to calm down his inner youkai. InuYasha caught the glance that Yukana threw at him and looked away from her._

_"Yukana, go gather your things. We're leaving as soon as possible." Sesshomaru announced suddenly. Yukana nodded and stood from her kneeling position that she had taken to just moments before. Sesshomaru walked over and lifted Kagome into his arms. InuYasha expected her to scream and struggle, but she didn't. Instead, she threw her arms around his neck and buried her face into his chest._

_InuYasha followed beside Yukana, steadily glaring at Sesshomaru's back as he made his way back to the residential area. He couldn't handle looking at it anymore and broke off to get the others and tell them that they were leaving. Yukana followed him and alerted the other lords and ladies._

_It was then that InuYasha realized just how Kagome felt when he would run off to Kikyo, and he regretted it._

_**End Flashback**_

InuYasha looked up at the sky and clenched his fists. He had the sudden urge to beat something to a bloody pulp, and the more he thought about the situation, the less he could resist doing just that. But, even so, he could not seem to pull his mind away from it.

InuYasha stood up and strode further into the forest, hoping to find some way to distract his thoughts and redirect them to something he could handle without losing his already limited control. The wind blew through his silver hair -though not as pretty as sesshy's!- as he entered his favorite thinking spot from when he was young -and he would actually think-. The hanyou plopped down on the ground and stared up at the nearly-full moon.

"InuYasha." The call was soft, but definitelly there, and nearby. The voice was familiar to him, but he could not pinpoint exaclty _who's_ voice it was. The only person that he could connect it to was dead, quite a few times over.

"Kikyo?"

"I am here, InuYasha." He turned around, and, indeed, she _was_ there, standing at the edge of the clearing. She looked just as she had the last time he saw her, and there was no evidence of her little 'spat' with Kagome.

"Kikyo...I thought you were..." InuYasha started, but then he hesitated.

"It was not _me_ that my reincarnation destroyed, but rather a puppet of Naraku's." Kikyo assured him coldly. "I would have no reason to attack your _shard detector_, but I do wonder if that's all she is to you."

Kikyo waited for an answer, but she didn't get one. InuYasha just stood there and averted his gaze.

"InuYasha...do you still love me or not?"

"I..." InuYasha sighed. "No, Kikyo, I don't."

Kikyo was stunned. She gaped at him as he turned his back on her and walked back towards Sesshomaru's castle.

_'I don't love Kagome more than Kikyo...do I?'_

_**The Next Morning**_

"Yukana, have you seen InuYasha latley?" Kagome asked.

"No, not since we came back." Yukana answered. "Why?"

"I'm just worried about him. I mean, I know that latley he's been in a bad mood since he has to stay here, but he would have been bugging me to get moving since we still have to find and defeat Naraku."

"Let him sulk for a few more days." Sango said. "I'm enjoying our little time of respite before we have to hunt that idiot down. Besides, I think InuYasha needs the rest more than any one of us here, save for you, Kagome, of course."

"I agree with Sango." Miroku piped. "InuYasha has too much pride in his own strength to let us know that he is in desperate need of rest, since he sees himself as the leader of our little group."

"So what?" Kagome put in. "What's the big deal about that?"

"If a leader appears weak in any way, an enemy will find a way to exploit that weakness, and that could lead to disaster and disorder within the pack." Sesshomaru elucidated. "Although pride may have some sort of role in it, the basic action is more for the safety and security of his pack."

"Sesshomaru, are you kidding? InuYasha's pride plays a bigger part in his actions than you think it does." Kagome stated. "Why do you think we don't help him more often than we already do? I'll tell you why. We don't want to get our heads bitten off when he takes it the wrong way and thinks that we're calling him weak."

"Well, that's his own problem." Yukana declared. "If he wants to think that way then he can go right ahead, but what he needs to learn is that there is strength in numbers. If he keeps pushing all of you away like you say he is, he's going to lose his numbers and any strength that comes with them. I know, I've seen it happen more times than I can count. Lack of trust in a pack can be the one crack in the wall that gets everyone killed."

"This coming from the one who thought that Sango was going to assassinate Sesshomaru...you really trust people, don't you, Yukana?" Kaori teased.

"Oh, come on! It was an easy mistake!" Yukana defended.

"Even if that had been her intention, she would not have been able to carry out her orders." Sesshomaru declared.

"And you say pride has almost nothing to do with one's actions..." Kagome muttered.

"Oooh...Kagome got you on that one." Yukana said. "And she got you good, too."

"The higher the pedastal, the harder the fall...isn't that right?" Kagome asked smugly, a smirk appearing on her face.

"Smugness is no better than pride." Sesshomaru stated simply. Kagome snorted.

"So now you're telling me I'm full of myself, is that it?" Kagome challenged.

"No, I'm not."

"Technically speaking, 'smug' and 'prideful' are both synonyms of the word 'concieted', which would mean that all three mean the same thing." Yukana declared. "But, from my expierience with both of you, I would say that neither of you are concieted, so the argument was simply based off of a misunderstanding of the other's character."

"Thank you, Dr. Phil..." Kagome said sarcastically. "Anyway, I have to go check up on Sakurako." Kagome stood up and walked out the door.

"Wait...I thought she hated Sakurako." Yukana said.

----------------------------------------------------------------

"So, is Moonle going to let you leave soon?" Kagome asked.

"Yeah, she said I should be well enough to leave tomorrow." Sakurako said excitedly, almost bouncing off the bed right then and there. "Actually, I could have left way earlier had Moonle not been so paranoid. She says that since it was _you_ that put me in here, I should stay for observation for a little while, just to make sure there were no side effects or lasting damage that she didn't know about from my previous exmination. I told her that I felt fine, but she didn't listen and kept me anyway. She also considered placing guards at the doors at night so I couldn't run off, but, when she suggested that, I just gave up on getting out too soon and she patted me on the head like I was some sort of dog or something."

"I would have figured as much from you." Kagome giggled. "So you're sure that she said tomorrow?"

"Yeah, I can't wait!"

"Alright, then if you have no objections, we can start tomorrow." Kagome declared.

"Yeah! Let's do it!"

"Alright, I'll go tell the others. I'd better get out of here before Moonle gets mad at me for making you too excited." Sakurako nodded and Kagome left to go find something in the kitchens to munch on.

Her plans on finding food, however, were over when she felt a familiar tug deep inside her soul. She knew what it meant.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

AR: Oh, yay!

S: Angel, I can't believe you brought her back into the story!

IY: I can.

AR: Well, believe it. So now, here is the little brain teaser I promised!

_In chapter sixteen of this fiction, Yukana had escorted Kagome into the dojo_

_where Sesshomaru and Minzoku were sparring. As you may recall, Kagome_

_pulled out the sword that had flown past her and Yukana's heads and wedged_

_into the doorframe and she handed it to Yukana, who dropped it. Yukana had_

_said that she 'had a thought' and giggled like a little school girl. Now tell me,_

_what was the thought that Yukana had and why was Miroku the only one to_

_know what she was talking about?_

AR: Well, that's all for today. Toodles!


	18. Attacked?

AR: I wonder what people would say if I deleted this story...

K: Why would you do that?

AR: I wouldn't. I just wanna know.

Se: Curiosity killed the cat.

AR: I'm not a cat.

Se: Angel, you are not an idiot, so I know that you are aware of what the point behind my statement was.

AR: Yes, I was. I just know that playing dumb gets on your nerves! -smiles-

IY: Feh. Had I said anything like that, my head would have been separated from my shoulders in 1 second flat.

K: Oh, InuYasha, are you jealous?

IY: Why the hell would I be jealous of that psychotic wench? That wierdo killed me off in the other story!

AR: Oh, is puppy-sama still miffed about that? Mommy is so sorry, poor puppy!

IY: Shut up!

DAG: Angel, leave the poor thing alone...if he leaves, what else are we going to use for entertainment purposes?

AR: Hmm...true...but, still. If he leaves, we still have Sesshomaru to irritate. But, anyways, I'm going to start shortening up the skits a tad...the longness of them is starting to irritate some of the reviewers! Story time! Enjoy!

--------------------------------------------------------

_I hopelessly, helplessly, wonder why_

_Everything gotta change around me_

_I'd tell it to your face_

_But you lost your face along the way_

_And I'd say it on the phone_

_If I thought you were alone_

_Why do things have to change_

_(Hopeless: Train)_

--------------------------------------------------------

Don't Fall Away

Chapter Eighteen: Attacked?

"How is this even possible...?" Kagome whispered to herself. "Sesshomaru said that...that she was dead...how is she still alive?"

"Kagome, why are you talking to yourself?" Yukana asked as she walked up behind her.

"Quick! Yukana, where did Sesshomaru go?" Kagome asked her urgently.

"Kagome, what-"

"Yukana! Where is he?!"

"I think he went to the library, but I don't think that he-" Yukana started, but never got to finish since Kagome bolted before she got the chance. "Kagome, wait a minute!" She scoweled and sprinted after the other girl.

Kagome burst into the library, almost throwing the doors off of their hinges in the process. Sesshomaru looked up from the small desk in the corner and at Kagome's flushed and slightly confused face. He looked at her questioningly. Kagome threw any manners that she had to begin with out the window.

"Sesshomaru! She's not dead!" Kagome cried. "I don't know how, but she's here! I can feel her!" Sesshomaru rose from the little desk and walked over to Kagome. "I knew there was something strange going on, but-"

"Kagome, calm down." he said, holding both of her shoulders in his grasp. "Speak slowly and clearly. Now, what is the problem?"

"Kikyo, she's still alive." Kagome said grimly.

"You are certain?" Kagome nodded her head slowly.

"I don't know how it's possible. You told me that her body was destroyed." Kagome said. "I felt my soul come back."

"It isn't possible..." Sesshomaru told her. "Unless part of the half of the soul that she posesses had been stored in another body."

"What do you mean?"

"She found a way to split her soul once more and put the other portion in a body that would awaken should you destroy the original." Sesshomaru elaborated. "She most likely did it with the help of Naraku."

"Is that even possible?" Kagome asked.

"Kagome, after all that you have witnessed in the past years, you are going to question the possibility of splitting a soul further than half-way?"

"Oh...I see your point..." Kagome muttered. "So are we going to do anything about it?"

"No, not right now." Sesshomaru declared. Kagome's eyes went wide.

"Have you gone nuts?!"

"There is no immediate need for you to go after the undead miko. She is not hurting anything."

"Sesshomaru, you can't be serious. If we don't do something now, it could be too late later! You know what could happen if InuYasha found out." Kagome said, but then she looked away with a thoughtful look on her face. "But...maybe if he knew that Kikyo was, in a sense, alive and well, maybe he would get back to himself again."

As Kagome made her last statement, she turned around and started running her fingers along the spines of the many books on the shelves.

"Is there a reason why you care?" Sesshomaru inquired.

"You may not be very fond of your half-brother, Sesshomaru, but InuYasha is my friend, and, even though he hasn't always been the _nicest_ guy in the world, it is my responsibility as his friend to help him when he is feeling down." Kagome replied defensively. Sesshomaru smirked and stood up. He walked up behind her and snaked his arms around her waist.

"So if I were feeling 'down', as you call it, then you would try to make the problem go away?" he asked teasingly.

"It's not fair." Kagome whined. "I can't be mad at you when you do that."

"I'll keep that in mind for the next time you're mad at me, then." Sesshomaru declared.

"You had better not." Kagome warned playfully, then she started squirming to get out of his grasp. "Okay, let go now, I have things that i need to do!"

"It's nothing that can't wait until later."

Normally, Kagome would have scolded him, but Sesshomaru stopped her reply when he started tickling her, rather ruthlessly, as a matter of fact.

"No...onegai...stop!" Kagome cried, that is, when she was able to get a word out through her laughter. "No! You're not...supposed...to...ah! S-stop that!" At that point in time, the only thing stopping her from falling to the floor was the fact that Sesshomaru was holding her up.

"What do you say?" Sesshomaru purred. He ceased his previous action to give her enough breath to answer.

"I say 'let go before you envoke a miko's wrath'." Kagome said breathlessly.

"No, wrong answer."

"No!" Kagome cried again. "Sesshomaru, stop! It's still...really early! This isn't fair...y-you ambushed me! Where...where is the...honor in that!? Ah! Let go...you're going to...to wake everyone...up!"

"If they're still in bed at this time of day, then they need to be woken up." Sesshomaru answered smugly.

"I'm going...to...get y-you so...bad for this!" Kagome threatened through her fit, although there was no way he could take her seriously with her laughing too hard to do anything other than talk, and even that was something she could barely manage to do. Sesshomaru smirked.

Kagome then turned her head and did something he never thought she would do...she bit him, right on the arm. Sesshomaru dropped her in mild suprise and Kagome fell right to the ground, landing on her hands and knees.

She stood up, panting, and grinned at him as she backed up a few paces. She watched as he looked at the spot where she had bit down. Sure, Kagome had not drawn blood, nor did she want to, but it was still a suprise that she had done something so...violent, so to speak.

"Don't say I didn't tell you so." she said triumphantly. "I warned you."

"You bit me." he stated, still kind of shocked.

"Well, duh. How else was I supposed to make you let me go?" Kagome said. "I told you not to envoke my wrath. Besides, I think you had other things on your mind when you were doing that, you hentai. That was some sort of subtle way of feeling me up."

"Yes, but you did not need to bite me." Kagome opened her mouth to say something, but then closed it with an audible snap, only to do it again seconds later.

"You...you hentai!"

"Well, would you rather me have lied to you?" Sesshomaru asked with a raised brow.

"Well...no, but...most men wouldn't just admit that out in the open!" Kagome complained. "Sure, I like an honest guy just as much as the next girl, but that was just...oh, kami, I can't believe you just said that!"

"Why, pray tell, is that?"

"'Cause you're not supposed to be a pervert!" Kagome cried. "You're supposed to go around trying to take the Tetsusaiga and protecting your lands, not feeling women up! That's just plain _wrong_!"

"What is it that makes you think that I do that?"

"Ugh, hello! Were you just listening to yourself?" Kagome snapped. "You just admitted that that was the reason you attacked me!"

"I didn't 'attack' you, Kagome." Sesshomaru objected serenely.

"Well, you might as well have!" Kagome retorted.

"Is that what you want me to do?" Sesshomaru asked, smirking.

"Sesshomaru, that's gross. You're a hentai." Kagome said accusingly.

"Sticks and stones, Kagome." Sesshomaru replied.

"No, really, you're a hentai." Kagome said bluntly. "I think you might have been around Miroku for too long."

"Perhaps, but I doubt it."

"I think you're in denial." Kagome told him blandly. Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow.

"Sesshomaru, Kagome, guess what?!" Yukana yelled as she walked into the library.

"What?"

"Hm?"

"I found InuYasha!" she cried victoriously.

"I didn't need to be found!" InuYasha protested. "You just did it without my permission."

"InuYasha, stop being a baby." Kagome scolded. "We were worried about you, so suck it up and just be glad we like you."

"Feh."

"I dunno, Kagome..." Yukana began. "When I came in, you didn't look very worried to me."

"Shut it, Yukana."

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AR: Yay! Chapter done! So, how did you like my version of fluff?

K: I'm gunna kill you, AR.

IY: I _told you_ that she was psychotic.

Y: InuYasha, the word is only amazing after the first few times, but eventually, it really gets old.

IY: Screw you, Yukana.

Y: No, thank you.

AR: OKAY! Well, that's all the time we have for today, folks...toodles!

**This chapter of ****Don't Fall Away**** is dedicated to:**

**Lil' JJ from fanfiction dot net,**

** Miko of Moonlight from fanfiction dot net, and**

**Kagome-Chan from a single spark since they were the only ones to answer the riddle from the last chapter. Stay tuned! More riddle coming up soon!**


	19. Nephilim's Past

AR: My chicken flew out the window.

Kim: -sigh- Angel, you're an idiot.

M: Hey! Do not insult the mighty AR!

Kim: Miroku, you're an idiot as well.

AR: Kim, get out of my room.

Kim: Fine! -leaves-

Y: What was her problem?

AR: I dunno. She gets like that every now and then. Just tell her to go away and you won't have to deal with it.

IY: Or you could give her a good whack to the head.

AR: That seems excessively destructive.

K: Yeah it kinda does.

IY: Shut up!

K: Inuyasha, sit!

AR: Well...time for the chapter! I don't own the show or any associated characters. I only own my characters!

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_Let freedom ring_

_Let the white dove sing_

_Let the whole world know that today_

_Is the day of a reckoning_

_Let the weak be strong_

_Let the right be wrong_

_Roll the stone away_

_Let the guilty pay_

_It's Independance Day_

_(Independance Day: Martina McBride)_

_-------------------------------------------------------------_

Don't Fall Away

Chapter Ninteen: Nephilim's Past

For the rest of the day, Kagome couldn't help but get the feeling that InuYasha was being abnormally clingy. Every time she would leave the room, he would find some reason to follow her. Kagome had to admit that it was rather annoying and she quickly decided that, if for some reason she ever returned to the future, there was no way that becoming a famous actor or singer was an option. If InuYasha's constant attention creeped her out, then the attention of thousands or even millions of people would be torture. -now that's ironic -

Kagome finally got rid of InuYasha a short while before dinner was to be served and she was going to make sure that she spend that time doing something that, should InuYasha decide to show up, he would have no reason to stay.

The young miko hastily made her way to her room to grab a kimono before she traveled down the hall to the hot spring. She felt comfort in the idea that she would get at least a little bit of time to herself before the noise that would be inevitable during supper.

The spring was quiet, save for the comforting noise of the small waterfall feeding the pool of crystal clear water, and there was nobody else there. Kagome quickly stripped and lowered herself in until it was just below her chin.

_'What has gotten into him today?'_ Kagome asked herself. _'He's being clingy and he's disreguarded my bubble quite a few times today...and it's only to me.'_ Kagome sighed and sank lower into the water. _'And Sesshomaru...ugh, I never would have thought that he was a pervert behind closed doors. But, then again, his character is so hard to figure out. Oh, Nephilim...what do you want me to do?'_ After this statement, however, Kagome made a strange face. "There's almost nothing more creepy than having a ghost watch you bathe...nevermind, Nephilim, tell me what to do later."

Kagome looked around and laid her head back on the rought stone of the spring, closing her eyes.

_'Why does my life have to be so complicated?'_

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"Dinner started a half hour ago and Kagome still isn't here." Sango said to Yukana, who was sitting next to her. "Kagome is never this late for anything. Something could have happened to her."

"Sango, calm down. Kagome probably fell asleep in the hot spring or something."

"Sesshomaru-sama, can Rin go and find Kagome-chan?" Rin begged. "Please?"

"Do what you will." Rin squealed happily and bolted from the dining hall, leaving everyone but Sesshomaru amazed at how fast that little girl's legs could carry her.

Rin had been listening to Yukana's comment about Kagome falling asleep in the hot spring. By the way she said it, it sounded like Kagome did it all the time. She decided to check there first.

Rin was not a stupid child and she could tell, just by looking at Kagome, that she was stressed and distracted. The little girl had noticed a dramatic change in the way that the woman she viewed as her mother had been acting. It had come about shortly before they returned to the western palace from Lord Daijirou's ball. The fact that they had left on such short notice gave her reason to believe that something had happened during their stay that changed the older girl, possible forever. However, Rin had decided that, if whatever it was had affected the strongest woman in her life, then it was probably not a good idea to ask Kagome about it.

Through her train of thought, Rin barely noticed that she had passed the door to the hot springs, so she ended up about halfway down the corridor before the full realization hit her and she turned around and backtracked.

She was abou tto knock on the door when she heard a strange noise coming from the other side. It was muffled, but, to Rin, it almost sounded like Kagome was crying. Rin frowned and opened the door. What she saw gaver her the shock of her life...and, also, broke her heart.

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"Sesshomaru-sama!" Rin cried as she burst back into the dining hall. Sesshomaru looked at his ward and took in her tear-streaked face and immediately stood up.

"What is it, Rin? What happened?"

"Ka...Kagome-chan is...is hurt!" At this statement, Sango's attention was caught and she was next to Rin in an instant, kneeling so she was eye-level with the child.

"What kind of 'hurt', Rin?"

"Kagome-chan is bl...bleeding." Rin choked out. Sango's eyes widened.

"What do you mean? From where?" the taijiya pressed. Rin cried harder.

"I don't know!" the child wailed. Rin threw her arms around Sango and sobbed on her shoulder. Sango wrapper her arms around the little girl and looked up at Sesshomaru, only to find that her was no longer standing next to Rin. She knew that he had went to find Kagome, but she didn't get up to follow for two reasons: one, Rin needed a female figure that she was familiar with to comfort her, and two, if Kagome was as bad as Rin made it seem, then she, herself, might not be able to handle the sight.

Yukana looked at Sango and Rin, then stood up and went after Sesshomaru, while Kaori and Miroku stayed with Sango and Rin. InuYasha was nowhere to be seen.

As Yukana walked down the hall, the mixed scents of blood, fear, and tears became stronger.

_'How did somebody get in without us knowing?'_

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When Sesshomaru heard what Rin said he was overwhelmed by a sense of worry and dread. His body acted on its own and he sped off toward the source of Kagome's panicked scent, which had entered the room when Rin came back in.

He was only seconds away from the door, which was still wide open, when he heard an ear-splitting scream coming from the springs. Sesshomaru ran as fast as he could for the last few meters and went into the room. He tried his hardest to supress a gasp, but failed.

Somehow, Kagome had been able to heave herself out of the water and was lying on the polished floor in a small pool of her own blood. With the combined power of her miko and youkai blood, the wounds on her back had already begun to heal, but there was something that Sesshomaru had to wonder: how did they get there?

There was one specific wound that caught the eye of the western taiyoukai. It was a long and deep gash, but no matter what had happened, there was nothing in the vicinity that could have caused a wound to take the characteristics of coming from a whip. All of these thought came within four seconds of Sesshomaru entering the scene.

Sesshomaru banished all his thoughts and hurried over to Kagome. Her eyes were glazed over, but she was still conscious. He knelt next to her and snatched her towel off the table, wrapping it around her shivering form. The taiyoukai cradled the demoness and for the first time in a long time, he almost cried...almost.

Yukana walked in a few seconds later and let out an almost inaudible gasp and raised her hands to her mouth, whispering incoherantly to herself.

Kagome looked over at Yukana and pinned her with a glassy stare.

"Nephilim...I don't want to do this anymore." she whispered.

"Kagome, I'm not..." Yukana started.

_'Kagome, I'm sorry. I did not wish to cause you such pain, but I was left without a choice.'_

"But...why?"

_'You needed to know.'_

"Why now?"

_'I cannot answer that question right now. It will be answered in time.'_ With that final statement, Nephilim disappeared.

Kagome closed her eyes and buried her face into Sesshomaru's haori. Somehow his presence helped to calm her nerves, which were already fried from the events of the past few days.

"Where are Rin and Shippo?" Kagome asked quietly.

"Rin and Shippo are in the dining hall with Sango, Miroku, and Kaori." Yukana answered. "You might want to talk to Rin, Kagome...she's the one that found you."

"Alright." Kagome stood up. "Get out. I have to get dressed."

Yukana and Sesshomaru exited and closed the door, leaving Kagome alone in the small room. Kagome quickly slipped into her kimono, after she made sure her back was clean and healed fully so it wouldn't stain her clothes.

Kagome then left the springs as well and followed Sesshomaru and Yukana to the dining hall.

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"She knows..." he muttered darkly. "How does she know?"

"Naraku." The voice came out of nowhere. The dark hanyou turned around and watched the girl materialize in front of him.

"I've been waiting for you...Nephilim." Naraku said coldly. "So it was you who ruined my plan. You were forbidden to help the living in those ways by Midoriko, were you not?"

"Midoriko would not object if it meant putting an end to your evil." Nephilim answered, unphased. "However, I do not see why it would matter to you. Kagome, no matter what you try to do, will not fall for it."

"Oh, I think otherwise, my daughter."

"Naraku, I am no longer the girl you once played father to those years ago." Nephilim said in a tone to match that of Sesshomaru. "It is by your doing that I am a wandering soul, doomed to wander the universe for all eternity. And it will be by my doing that you are stopped."

"You forget, Midoriko forbade your interferance." Naraku argued.

"You were in possession of the jewel created by Midoriko, herself, were you not? I am sure that she would change her mind if it went down to the destruction of such an evil creature such as yourself, the very thing that she trapped her soul in the Shikon no Tama to destroy and leave the world safe."

"Whether or not you are still among the living, it is no matter. I am still your father and you will obey my orders."

"You are not my father. My father is dead, consumed by demons." Before Naraku could reply, Nephilim was gone.

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AR: Well, was that worth waiting for? I know it took a while but I was stuck with finals and all that other good junk. But, hey, no school means more time to write! Oh, just for the record, the other stories won't be started until this is over. But the winner is...Right Kind of Wrong!

K: So are you actually going to write another story?

AR: Yes, but after this one. I really can't concentrate on more than one story.

DAG: I can!

AR: Yes but you make your chapters, like, two pages long.

DAG: Hmph.

Y: Well, at least AR can admit that she can't multi-task.

AR: You had better watch it, Yukana...

Y: Heheh...

AR: Well, toodles! I'll get another chapter out soon!


	20. Kagome Might be PMSing Just a Little

AR: Yay! New chapter!

IY: Well, it's about time.

Y: You can't say that. Angel has been really busy with her job, so she hasn't had time.

IY: Well I don't care. That's my line and I can say it if I want.

AR: KAGOME! INUYASHA IS BEING MEAN TO ME!!!!!!!!

IY: You bitch...

K: InuYasha, sit!

IY: -sat-

AR: Thank you, Kagome.

K: No problem, AR.

Ka: Chapter, Angel. Remember what you said about the skits?

AR: Oh, yeah...okay! Time for the chapter! Um...I disclaim InuYasha and friends? Whatever, you get the point. Enjoy! Oh, and just for the record, Nephilim ain't mine, either. I just borrowed her. It's not like Xenosaga puts her in depth, anyway.

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_The trees that whisper in the evening_

_Carried away by a moonlight shadow_

_Sing a song of sorrow and grieving_

_Carried away by a moonlight shadow_

_All she saw was the silhouette of a gun_

_Far away on the other side_

_He was shot six times by a man on the run_

_And she couldn't find how to push through_

_(Moonlight Shadow techno remix: DJ Mystic)_

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Don't Fall Away

Chapter Nineteen Recap:

**"Whether or not you are still among the living, it is no matter. I am still your father and you will obey my orders."**

**"You are not my father. My father is dead, consumed by demons." Before Naraku could reply, Nephilim was gone.**

Chapter Twenty: Kagome Might be PMS'ing Just a Little

Kagome sat in her room with Rin and Shippo. The two children were asleep beside her, and in spite of what was going on in her life, she couldn't help but smile at them. Kagome had explained to Rin what she had seen, and, even though Rin still didn't think it was going to help in any way, she let it be and instead started playing hand-games with Shippo until both had fallen asleep.

Considering that Nephilim was really on her side, Kagome pondered on the strange way that the young "ghost", if that's even what she was, decided to show her things. Sure, it had been a welcome warning, but she left out the part saying that the dream involved actual physical mutilation on Kagome's part.

The dream...it was so real. Just the thought that it was the possible future sent chills up Kagome's spine. She banished all thoughts and laid back, welcoming the sleep that was waiting to overcome her senses.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Kagome awoke sometime around midnight. She felt as if she needed to talk to somebody...exactly who, however, she didn't really care. Kagome closed her eyes and tried to sense if anyone was awake. There were servants here and there on the ground floor, Shippo and Rin were still curled up next to her, Yukana and Kaori had fallen asleep in the library, Sango was asleep in her room, and InuYasha wasn't even on the property. Kagome was relieved when she found at least one person that she could talk to was awake.

Sesshomaru was up and pacing his study. Kagome slid off the bed, being careful not to wake Rin and Shippo, and made her way towards him.

Sesshomaru sensed Kagome coming and stopped his pacing. He could feel the lonliness in her aura and figured she was probably looking for some company. He was suprised when she stopped in front of his study and knocked on the door. Instead of just telling her to come in, as he normally would, he walked over to the door and opened it for her.

"Hi, Sesshomaru. You're not busy, are you?" she asked hopefully.

"No. Why are you not asleep, Kagome?" he inquired, standing back to let her in. Kagome walked past him and plopped down on the sofa in front of his desk.

"Well, I _was_ asleep, but then I woke up." Kagome declared. "I need somebody to keep me company, but Yukana, Kaori, and Sango are all asleep."

"So you came to me?" Kagome nodded and sighed.

"I'm not in the mood for a woman's company anyway." she declared quietly. "I know what happened."

"What do you mean?"

"I know what happened and how I tore up my back." Kagome elaborated. "I squirmed in my sleep when I dozed off in the hot spring and scraped it up on the rocks in the spring."

"Oh, I see."

"It's no big deal. I mean, it's healed up fine right now, so everything's okay." she said, shrugging. "Besides, I got some good information."

"Information?" Sesshomaru arched an eyebrow and Kagome nodded.

"Yes, information. Naraku has this plan to try to lure me away with a threat to the well-being of Rin and Shippo, but he knows there's no way he can get to them, so he plans on finding shape-shifters to take their form. It's a trick." Kagome explained, her depressed mood suddenly gone and replaced by the air of simply discussing the latest gossip. "But, now the problem is that I know, so he has to think of something else. It wasn't just a dream that I had in the hotspring, it was a vision of the future, of what would happen had I not found out about the plan, but it's not going to happen. He _knows_ that I know, and he summoned Nephilim. In that way that she has, she basically told him off, and he got mad. Nephilim has a connection to him, I'm not entirely sure what it is, but as long as she's here, we can, in a sense, 'spy' on Naraku, just as he does on us. All his plans would be ruined and eventually he would just give up and launch a frontal attack. Sure, there would be a few tricks, but nothing we can't handle."

"You act as if you have seen the future."

"Sesshomaru, I _live_ in the future." Kagome reminded him. "There is no Naraku. There are a few demons running around, but that's about it. In fact, Kagura is still alive five hundred years from now. I haven't seen you or Koga yet, but I really haven't been looking. Kagura found me and all the other demons just happened to be within a few meters of me, so I could sense them pretty easily."

"My half-brother is coming."

"InuYasha?" Kagome asked, even though she already knew the answer. Sesshomaru nodded.

InuYasha burst into the room. He walked over to them and pulled Kagome up by her wrist and towards the door.

"Come on, Kagome, it's time to leave." he said gruffly. Kagome glared at him and yanked her wrist from his grip.

"Who do you think you are, bossing me around?" she demanded angrily. "I don't want to leave."

"Well, that's too damn bad. It's time to go, we've wasted too much time already while you decided you wanted to sit here and snuggle up to that ass hole."

"InuYasha...OSUWARI!!" Kagome screamed. InuYasha hit the ground. "After all I have put up with from you through the years, you have no right to talk to me like that! OSUWARI! Don't you _dare_ make it seem like I'm the only reason we are still here, because Sango and Miroku are glad for the vacation. OSUWARI! I left that night because I was trying to protect _you_ from my future and keep all of you out of harm's way. OSUWARI! I made a deal with Sesshomaru, and I fully intend on keeping up on my end of the bargain! OSUWARI! You're lucky I haven't left for home yet, InuYasha; the jewel is complete and that was the _only_ reason why I had to come here all the time and Naraku had nothing to do with it to begin with! OSUWARI! Get over yourself, I'm not some shy little girl you can order around all the time!"

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Yukana and Kaori awoke to loud bangs and Kagome's angry voice from the floor below. They turned to look at each other and nodded.

"Kagome's mad at somebody, and by the sound of it, it's InuYasha." Yukana said, holding back a giggle. Kaori nodded and they both left the library, eager to see what InuYasha had done to make Kagome mad this time.

The yelling and periodic 'SLAM's stopped before they got there. Yukana and Kaori walked in to see a seething Kagome, an amused Sesshomaru, and an unconscious InuYasha.

"Hey, Kagome, you're going to end up waking the entire castle if you keep that up." Yukana teased. Kagome shot a glare at her and stalked out of the room. "Geez, what crawled up her butt and died?"

Kaori studied the scene momentarily. "InuYasha told her it was time to leave and she didn't want to, so InuYasha got kinda physical." she guessed, more like announced, really. Sesshomaru nodded and Kaori grinned in triumph.

"We should leave her be for a little while." Yukana said, earning a nod from Sesshomaru and Kaori.

"Yeah, she seems ticked."

"I'm going to get her back so bad one of these days..."

--------------------------------------------

AR: Sorry for the short update, but I had writer's block for this chapter. I might take suggestions, though.

IY: And you wonder why your characters hate you.

AR: My characters don't hate me. Yukana and Kaori love me, and none of y'all are mine.

Se: -nods-

AR: Well, until next time, kiddies. Toodles!


	21. PMS Is Contageous

AR: Yay! New chapter!

IY: I can't believe that you would make Kagome do that to me!

AR: You don't? I thought you knew me by now...oh well, must have thought wrong. InuYasha, the readers like putting you in pain. So if they like it, I'll do it. -grins- Have a nice day.

IY: Feh.

K: Angel, you don't really have to be so mean to InuYasha.

AR: It's fun. Leave me alone.

Se: I agree. I find it quite amusing.

K: Nobody asked your opinion, Dust Bunny.

AR: Hey! Don't insult the almighty Sesshomaru-sama! -huggles-

Y: I always knew she was crazy.

Ka: -nods-

AR: Well, if it weren't for my being crazy, Yukana and Kaori wouldn't exist. -smiles- Now, any objections to my craziness? No? Good! On with the story!

Disclaimer: Me no own...blah blah blah, you get it.

------------- change in location

() change in perspective

---------------------------------------------------

_I hope you know, I hope you know_

_That this has nothing to do with you_

_It's personal, myself and I_

_We've got some straitening out to do_

_And I'm not going to miss you like a child misses their blanket_

_But I've got to get a move on with my life_

_It's time to be a big girl now_

_And big girls don't cry_

_(Big Girls Don't Cry: Fergie)_

---------------------------------------------------

**Chapter Twenty Recap:**

**"Yeah, she seemed ticked."**

**"I'm going to get her back so bad..."**

Don't Fall Away

Chapter Twenty-One: PMS Is Contageous

"How dare he accuse me of such stupid things!" Kagome fumed as she walked down the hall. "I do everything for that brainless oaf, and this is the thanks that I get? Stupid hanyou."

"Kagome? Who are you talking to?"

"Huh? Sakurako! What are you doing out?" Kagome asked. "Where is Moonle?" Sakurako adopted a guilty look and started wringing her fingers.

"Well, um, I kinda gave her the slip a little while ago, while she was changing my bed sheets." she admitted. "I really needed to get out of there, it was driving me mad!"

Kagome touched her index finger to her chin and began walking in circles around Sakurako, examining her physical condition closely. She placed her hand on the other girl's shoulder and concentrated, but she found nothing wrong.

"You can go back to your room, Sakurako, there's nothing wrong with you." Kagome said. "I'll talk to Moonle in the morning. Rest up, I'm going to start your training tomorrow, so alert the other girls as well." Sakurako nodded.

"Thank you Kagome. Oyasumi." she said as she turned around and walked off. Kagome shook her head and made her way to the dojo **(bleck, still hate that word)**, for what reasons, however, she had yet to figure out.

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Sesshomaru watched Kagome leave, barely managing to hold back a smile at how she punished the hanyou. In his opinion, it was actually very efficient, not to mention amusing to those who were watching.

"InuYasha, you can't get Kagome back for something that was your fault." Kaori chided.

"Who said it was my fault?! I didn't do anything to her!"

"Are you really that dense?" Sesshomaru cut in. Throughout the entire conversation, Sesshomaru had managed not to say anything. But, seeing as Kagome had left, there was nobody else to prolong InuYasha's misery, so he took over.

"Stay out of it, fluff bucket." InuYasha snapped. Yukana slapped him in the back of his head and glared at him.

"That's no way to talk to your half-brother, InuYasha."

"Tell that to him! He called me stupid!" InuYasha objected.

"I can't punish him for telling the truth." Yukana said airily. InuYasha's jaw dropped.

"What do I have to do to get a little bit of support around here?!"

"Act your age?" Kaori suggested. "Come on, InuYasha, we all know that you can be very immature sometimes...well...all the time, really, but that's not the point. Do you honestly think that Kagome _likes_ having to yell at you all the time?"

"Yes." InuYasha mumbled.

"Shut up, InuYasha." Yukana snapped. "If you don't want to stay, nobody is holding you here. Kagome has nothing to do with what you decide you want to do. Personally, I think she would be better off if you left, anyway."

"Yukana...you don't mean that." Kaori said softly.

"Like hell I don't."

"Yukana, that's enough." Sesshomaru interrupted. She glared at him and walked out the door.

"I think she's starting to get Kagome's temper." Kaori said. "Maybe we should start keeping them away from each other."

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Kagome stood in the center of the dojo. It was dark, the only light coming in through the open door. A glint caught her eye and she turned to the wall that held all of the weaponry, a vast expanse of blades, arrows, and countless other weapons that she couldn't name. The one that had caught her eye, actually a set of twin daggars, rested peacefully on their stand and reflected what little light was in the room. She heard a footstep at the door and, by instinct, picked up one of them, turning swiftly, and threw it. It soared through the air and embeded itself in the frame of the door, inches from the head of Sesshomaru.

"You have nice aim, Kagome, I must admit." he commented.

"Sorry, Sesshomaru. I thought you were somebody else." Kagome said, scratching the back of her neck nervously. He walked over to her and handed her the daggar. She took it, being careful not to cut herself on the blade, and put it back on the stand with it's twin.

Sesshomaru had walked in on Kagome examining the wall on which all of the weapons were kept. As soon as he had stepped foot on the wooden floor, Kagome had reacted, almost hitting him in the face with one of his mother's daggars. Her aim, or lack thereof, was incredible for a first try.

"You have nice aim, Kagome, I must admit."

He barely heard her apologizing to him as he pulled the dagger out of the wooden door frame. It had been in there pretty deep. He handed it to her and watched how carefully she handled it as she put it back.

"Tomorrow." he said. Kagome turned around, a confused expression on her face.

"What about tomorrow?"

"Your weapon training will begin tomorrow. I saw Sakurako on my way here and she told me that you planned on starting with them tomorrow as well." Sesshomaru said. "You will train them after lunch. Kaori will wake you at sunrise and get you prepared and you will meet me here an hour after that. Understood?"

"Alright, first of all, you aren't my boss, so you could be a little nicer about it. And second, I already knew all of the stuff that you just told me. I am not dumb, and it was extremely easy to guess." Kagome snapped.

"Calm down and don't do anything stupid. I am aware of your intelligence, Kagome, so you do not need to take offense." Sesshomaru stated, smirking. "In fact, that is one of the qualities of yours that draws me to you."

"Ano...nani?!"

"You heard me."

"Sesshomaru, you're being perverted again. Stop it." Kagome warned. She was actually quite glad it was dark, since she was blushing like mad after his comment.

"How is that being perverted?"

"Oh, I don't know, but knowing you, you have some sort of ulterior motive for saying that to me."

"Most women enjoy being complimented. Do you not like being called smart?" Sesshomaru inquired.

"I never said that." Kagome defended. "I said that you were...oh, nevermind. You're impossible, you know that?"

"So I've been told."

"Why would you need to be told? You should know that in the first place." Kagome said, rolling her eyes.

"I did, but it only helps that you re-enforce the idea." Sesshomaru stated.

"Do we honestly need to have this conversation? It's late and I have to go back to bed, I've got things to do tomorrow."

"Allow me to accompany you, then."

"No!"

"No?"

"No. You need to get things done, and I need to sleep. Oyasumi, I will see you in the morning."

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AR: Hey, this chapter didn't take me two months. -grins-

IY: It still took you really long.

AR: InuYasha, sit.

IY: Gah! Hey...you can't do that! Ha!

AR: Kagome!

K: InuYasha, sit.

IY: -sat-

AR: -giggle-

Y: You made me sound like a bitch, Angel.

AR: I know. I'm out, though, 'cause there's nothing else to bother InuYasha with! Toodles my fans! -waves-


	22. Kaori Doesn't Have a Sleep Button

AR: Yay! I'm finally writing again!

IY: Yeah, what's your excuse this time...you broke a fingernail?

AR: Shut up, InuYasha. No, that's not the reason. School started and I haven't had time to start anything until now. -sticks her tongue out-

Y: I swear, the both of you are _so_ childish.

AR: Yukana! You're supposed to be on my side!

Y: I'm neutral. Both of you owe me money.

IY: No, I don't.

AR: Neither do I!

Ka: They do? I can see that from Doodle, but does AR owe you money too?

Se: This is all very amusing, but we have a reason to be here. Personally, I would rather get it over with so I can get back to the life that I still have.

K: -laughs-

AR: I hate all of you...except you, Sesshy-sama, you're my hero. Well...it's a three-way tie between you, Rambo, and Blade, but still.

Disclaimer: Do I _honestly_ have to go through with this _every_ chapter? You get it, I'm to lazy to type it again.

A/N: If any of you have a myspace, add me. Its myspace dot com slash monstersinmylivingroom. Make sure I know that you're from ff.n, though, ok?

--------------------------------------------------

_Stupid Cupid, you're a real mean guy._

_I'd like to clip your wings so you can't fly._

_I am in love and it's a crying shame._

_And I know that you're the one to blame._

_Hey, hey, set me free._

_Stupid Cupid, stop picking on me._

_(Stupid Cupid: Mandy Moore -remake-)_

------------------------------------------------------

Chapter Twenty-One Recap:

**"No?"**

**"No. You need to get things done, and I need to sleep. Oyasumi, I will see you in the morning."**

Don't Fall Away

Chapter Twenty-Two: Kaori Doesn't Have a Sleep Button

Kaori came in and woke Kagome up at sunrise, just as Sesshomaru had said that she would. Kagome mumbled something and rolled over, which resulted in Kaori giving her a whack on the back of her head. Kagome jumped up and swatted her away.

"What was that for?!" she asked, angry that she was being woken up so early. Kaori rolled her eyes.

"Sesshomaru told me to get you up for training, remember?" she said, starting to get a little frustrated when Kagome laid back down. "Now get up so you can get ready. That uniform Sango gave you is on the vanity and your bathing supplies are sitting on the floor right next to it. Now, get up before you get me into trouble!"

Kagome groaned and reluctantly rolled out of the bed, muttering something about the effects of sleep deprivation. She stood up and walked out of the room, down the hall, and into the spring.

She stripped and lowered herself into the hot water, sighing as her muscles relaxed again and made her want to go back to sleep. She resisted, however, and poured some shampoo in her hand, lathering it and rinsing it off. She did the same with her conditioner before she got out and dried off.

Kagome struggled a little bit with the uniform Sango gave her. Since her skin was still relatively damp, it stuck to her and ended up being more trouble than it was worth, taking her about ten minutes to get it on comfortably. Afterward, she walked back into her room, pulled her hair into a ponytail, and grabbed Rekuiemu from beside her bed before allowing Kaori to lead her away.

"I will never know why I have to get up so early. It's stupid." Kagome announced blatantly. Kaori rolled her eyes at her and sighed.

"Kagome, that's just the way things are done. If we let you sleep in all the time, then there would be almost no time in the day for anything else." she explained irritably. "Besides, you've gotten out of it long enough. You were supposed to start at least two days after you got here, yet how long has it been?"

"Um...a long time." Kagome said thoughtfully, earning a look from Kaori. "Hey, I'm not actually keeping count, here."

"I figured."

"Hey, Kaori, can you do me a favor?"

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sesshomaru had been waiting for Kagome for around ten minutes when he finally sensed her coming, along with Kaori. He walked to the door and looked out, suddenly finding himself unable to supress a small smile.

Kagome had managed to convince Kaori to give her a piggy-back ride, the latter not seeming to enjoy herself too much, while the former basked in the glow of not having to walk to the dojo.

"Kami, Kagome, what have you been eating?" Kaori complained jokingly.

"Very funny, Kaori."

"Yeah, I know." she said, grinning. "Alright, it's time for you to get off my back, I have things that need to be done before everyone wakes up."

"But, we aren't even there yet!" Kagome complained. "There's still, like, seven meters left!"

"Get off or I'm going to drop you on your rear." Kaori threatened. Kagome sighed and hopped off, mumbling inaudibly.

"Do you want to tell me anything before I die, Kaori?" Kagome asked. Kaori shrugged.

"Good luck, and the piggy-back ride was a one-time thing. You won't get one tomorrow, although you might just get another whack in the head if you don't wake up." She walked off after that, leaving Kagome glaring at her retreating form.

"Procrastination seems to be your specialty, Kagome." Sesshomaru commented, resulting in Kagome turning to glare at him instead.

"One of many, Sesshomaru." she said airily, brushing past him with her nose in the air. He followed her in and closed the door.

"Let me see your sword." Sesshomaru ordered. Kagome pulled it out of it's sheath and handed it to him. The taiyoukai examined it closely, testing the weight and balance while silently admiring the craftsmanship.

"Sesshomaru, if you look at it any closer, you're going to end up poking your eye out." Kagome said impatiently. Sesshomaru ignored her.

"This is exactly what could be expected of Totosai." he commented, giving it back to her.

"Yeah, it's really nice." Kagome replied. "I like the dragon."

"Of course you do. Now, tell me what you already know."

"Um...what do you mean? Like, what I know the do's and don'ts or the weapons I can use?" Kagome asked.

"Both."

"Alright. First of all, don't be like InuYasha as in attack first and ask questions later." Kagome said thoughfully, earning a nod from Sesshomaru. "I think I can only use a bow and my miko powers."

"We'll start with something to that effect then. We will get to your sword in a few moments, but, first, you need something should you become disarmed." Sesshomaru announced, walking over toward the wall of weapons. He stopped in front of the daggars that Kagome had been admiring the night before and lifted both from their stand before returning to Kagome and handing them to her.

"What am I going to do with these? And where would I put them?"

"Were you not just listening to me?" Sesshomaru asked, trying not to get mad. "I said that you should have them just in case you are disarmed, and you are wearing a taijiya outfit, you can find a place to put them."

"Well, do they at least come with some sort of cover? I don't want to lose a body part by just carrying these things around."

"You're not going to lose a body part, but, if you absolutely must have something to put them in, there are a two right here." Sesshomaru handed the covers to Kagome and she stuck them in before tucking both blades into the ribbon that criss-crossed over her back.

"Alright, I'm ready."

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Three hours later, Kagome had progressed substantially, fighting as if she had been doing it for years. She had actually come close to beating Sesshomaru a couple of times, but somehow got distracted by a small movement elsewhere and let her guard down.

"Focus!" Sesshomaru barked after the third time of this happening. "You are tapping into the power of your previous incarnations, but it will do _nothing_ if you lose your focus."

"I'm trying! I really am! We've been at this for hours and I haven't eaten yet, nor have I had anything to drink since last night." Kagome said through gritted teeth, blocking a strike to the back of her head and to the front in rapid succession. She studied his movements, looking for an open area or something less guarded than anything else. She saw it, and she was going to take her chance.

Kagome aimed a blow to his midsection and jumped over his head, following with her landing down to the ground and sweeping his feet out from under him as he was turning around. That was when Yukana walked in, clapping and grinning like an idiot.

"Very nice, very nice indeed." she commented, walking foreward calmly. Kagome sheathed Rekuiemu as Sesshomaru returned to his feet.

"To what do we owe the pleasure of your company, dear cousin?" Sesshomaru asked sarcastically, earning himself a light tap on the arm from Kagome.

"Oh, I just wanted to see how things were turning out." Yukana said airily. "Either you're a very good teacher, Sesshomaru, or Kagome somehow cheated and drew from past life expierience."

"Maybe it's both." Kagome suggested brightly. Yukana rolled her eyes.

"Well, anyway, I really came down here to tell the both of you that InuYasha and Kaori are going at it in the entrance hall."

"Who started it?"

"Do I look like I know?" Yukana snapped. "Somebody had better take care of it though, 'cause Kaori is getting pissed and she's not very pleasent when she is." Yukana turned around to walk out, but then added as an afterthought, "Oh, yeah, and there was a message about a little while ago from that Ozai guy. He said he's coming up tomorrow to discuss a treaty...lying bastard." She left after that.

Sesshomaru turned to Kagome and told her she was allowed to leave to deal with the situation with InuYasha and Kaori. Kagome nodded happily and pranced out of the dojo, feeling as if she accomplished the most impossible task in the world.

She entered the castle from the back and made her way to the entrance hall from there. If she was right, it must have been InuYasha who had started whatever fight was going on, but she knew it wasn't right to assume something like that, either. Kagome sighed, suddenly wondering when she became the peace keeper.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

"You sent it out?" Naraku asked Kanna. Kanna nodded.

"Your wish has been taken care of."

"Good. Where has Kurayami gotten off to?"

"She is with Kagura in the lower levels." Kanna said. Naraku leaned back and thought for a moment. He then looked over at Ozai, a plan forming in his twisted mind.

"Summon them both, Kanna." he ordered. Seeing Ozai smirk out of the corner of his eye, he added, "I have an assignment for them."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

AR: Well...that took longer than I thought it would...and it's not even a long update...oh, well!

IY: What do you mean "oh, well"? You had them wait this long for _this_? I'm not even in it!

AR: InuYasha, you're not even the main character of the story. You're lucky that you get a part at all, much less one as big as you have right now.

Ka: Somehow, that doesn't sound to me like it's very comforting, AR.

Y: I agree. At least I lightened up in this chapter, though.

Se: Indeed.

K: Is it time for a vacation yet?

AR: A vacation? You get enough time in between chapters! Suck it up, Kagome, and get with the program!

K: Hey! I was just asking!

AR: Whatever. Anyway, I'm out. Review and I'll be happy. I might even update faster. Also, if you're a Pirates of the Caribbean fan, check out my new story, co-written with Moonlight Shadow Guardian. It's not as good as this one, but its still a story, ne?


	23. The Prophecy

AR: Tsk, tsk, tsk. You are all my bad reviewers. Since almost nobody reviewed...short update!

Y: AR! You can't do that!

AR: Says who? I'm the author, I can do whatever I want. It's not like I'm going to be chased by a mob of rabid story fans, nobody reviews anymore, anyway. That means that nobody cares. -grins-

Se: If nobody cares, what would be the point of making a short update to get a reaction that you won't get, seeing as there are no people who bother themselves with this story?

AR: Shut up, Dust Bunny. Nobody asked you to say anything.

Se: Yes, but nobody forbade my input, either.

DAG: Yeah...he has a point, Angel.

AR: Shut up, Devi! Why does everyone side against me all the time!?

Y: We don't side against you, AR.

Ka: Yeah, we side against whoever gets their name pulled out of the hat.

AR: That was so funny, I forgot to laugh...

Y: We're serious! InuYasha has more name cards in there than anyone else, so he usually gets picked every day...but, today you were picked, so we have to follow the rules, no matter how much we don't want to.

DAG: Don't want to? Why would I miss a chance to pick at Angel?

AR: Devi...you're getting a little close to the edge, there, aren't you?

DAG: What do you mean?

AR: -pushes her off the top bunk of the bed- Heh...well, while we help her put her shoulder back in place, you guys can read the chapter. Have fun.

Disclaimer: I don't own it, but I do own the original characters and the plot line...and Devi's brand new dislocated shoulder...

----------------------------------------------------------------

_Well, you're a real hot cookie with your new hairdo_

_Your high-heeled boots and your credit card_

_Long legs and a mini skirt_

_Yeah, you know what works_

_And you work it hard_

_You smile like such a lady_

_Innocent and sweet_

_You drive the manfolk crazy_

_But any girl can see..._

_(Homewrecker: Gretchen Wilson)_

-----------------------------------------------------------------

**Chapter Twenty-Two Recap:**

**"She is with Kagura in the lower levels." Kanna said. Naraku leaned back and thought for a moment. He then looked over at Ozai, a plan forming in his twisted mind.**

**"Summon them both, Kanna." he ordered. Seeing Ozai smirk out of the corner of his eye, he added, "I have an assignment for them."**

Don't Fall Away

Chapter Twenty-Three: The Prophecy

"Something tells me that you have something planned, Naraku." Ozai sneered. "Would you mind letting a friend in on the details?"

"You will know when the time comes. Until then, however, you should go back to your mate. We wouldn't want you suspected, now, would we?"

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Honestly, the both of you are acting like five-year-olds." Kagome scolded, after she caught Kaori, who was facing away from him, turn and stick her tongue out at InuYasha. She hadn't quite figured out why they were fighting, and after much prying on her part, hadn't found out enough to formulate a possible reason that didn't make it seem like an over-dramatic squabble.

"She started it." InuYasha muttered, causing Kaori to spin around and give him a hard whack to the arm.

"I did not! Why is it that men can never admit when they're wrong?!" she yelled.

"What?! So, now it's a sexist thing, then? Well, two can play at that game. Women complain too much, cause too much trouble, are lazy, and constantly need to be saved from everything from flies to dragons." InuYasha retorted.

"Excuse me!?" Kagome and Kaori said in unision.

"InuYasha, of all the stupid and retarded things that I have heard you say, this definitelly takes the cake." Kagome declared, suddenly adopting an expression calm enough to rival that of Sesshomaru. InuYasha visibly tensed, expecting the worst. However, if ever there was a perfect time for Miroku to show up, it was then.

"Kagome, Sango is searching for you." Miroku said. "I believe she wants to ask you something...what's going on?"

"InuYasha is being a moron." Kaori replied. "It's just like every other time something happens, so why would you even bother asking that question?"

_'Is it just me, or is there something going on that's making the women more irritable lately?'_ Miroku thought.

Kagome sighed and put her hand to her forehead. "Fine. Do me a favor and take care of these two for me, will you?"

"Alright, Kagome. Sango is in the sitting room on the third floor." Miroku told her as she walked away.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Is it just me, or does Kagome seem a little bit off lately? I mean, something more than what happened during the ball is bothering her, but I can't seem to think of what it is." Yukana stated. "What do you think?"

"Kagome's thoughts are her business, not ours." Sesshomaru said. "If she wanted us to know, she would say something."

"Well...yeah, but if there's something on her mind...we both know that Kagome isn't the kind of person to drag other people into her problems. Aren't you at least a little worried?"

"I will not deny the fact that I am concerned about Kagome's thoughts..."

"I sense something to the effect of a 'but' coming on." Yukana predicted, frowning.

"Precisely. Kagome is not obligated to speak of everything that comes to her mind, and it is not right for her to be forced into it, either." Sesshomaru explained. "When she is ready, she will answer your questions."

"Do you think that every now and then you could tone down and speak normally? Talking to you involves too much brain activity."

"There is no such thing as 'too much brain activity'." Sesshomaru stated. "You grew up in a place where precision of language was volitile, as did I. The lessons just stayed in my mind moreso than they did in yours."

"That, or I just didn't care."

"To some extent, Yukana, you did, however, since you left, you adapted your method of speech to those that you lived with and around, as did InuYasha."

"Okay...now, before you get into how everything came to be, I'm going to go see if Kagome took care of InuYasha and Kaori yet." Yukana decided. "Have fun with your lecture on speech, alright?"

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I swear, after the past few weeks, I'm going to need a major vacation." Kagome announced as she walked into the library. Sango, who was situated on a sofa, looked up and smiled.

"I wouldn't doubt it, Kagome." Sango said. "So what did InuYasha do now?"

"Him and Kaori were about to bite each other's heads off. They were acting like little kids."

"Yeah, exactly what would be expected from InuYasha, but did you figure out why Kaori was involved?"

"I don't know. They were both being very vague, it was almost as if they were doing it on purpose." Kagome sighed. "Those two give me such a headache, and I'll bet Yukana was in on whatever they were fighting about. Anyway, what did you need?"

"I think I might have found something." Sango answered. "A prophecy, if you will. It says...hang on, let me find it."

"A prophecy? Honestly, Sango, you don't seem the type to believe in such things." Kagome said.

"I don't. I just thought you would like to know." Sango shrugged. "Besides, it's just about the only lead we have, yeah, I know it's not much, but at least it's something, right? Yukana and Kaori like superstitions and prophecies and all that other stuff, so we could get them to look further into it."

"Wouldn't that involve them leaving?" Kagome asked. "I know this sounds stupid, but if they leave, there's less people to help keep my head on strait."

"Um...elaborate, please?"

"Sesshomaru is going crazy, InuYasha is getting increasingly annoying, Miroku is just being himself, and Shippo and Rin aren't really the best people to talk to when there's a problem."

"Well, then that means we'll have to find some other way to look into it." Sango commented. "Seriously, it might be worth looking into."

"Okay, whatever. Have you found it yet?" Kagome pressed. "Miroku can't keep InuYasha and Kaori under control forever."

"Keep _them_ under control? Kagome, even Sesshomaru can't do that." Sango scoffed. "And, if Yukana is involved, that makes keeping order and preserving sanity even harder."

"Sango!"

"Okay! Okay! Kagome, chill out, I'm working on it." Sango defended. "Geez, I swear, you're getting worse than Sesshomaru. It's right here." Sango handed the book to Kagome and pointed to the line. Kagome snatched the book from her and read.

_"He who exists as a creature, neither human nor demon, shall bring an end to this world. Heartless and interested only in personal gain, he shall ravage this planet, polluting the souls and minds of all living things with evil, pain, and sadness. Aided unknowingly by a deceased miko, the only hope for survival lies in the bond between a reincarnated miko and a taiyoukai. With the combined power of miko and taiyoukai, as well as a small group of warriors, they shall break through the defenses with ease. However, the only way to defeat the devil on earth, is for aforementioned individuals to work together, with total trust in one another. Otherwise, the world is doomed."_

"This sounds like some poorly written horror story." Kagome scoffed. "But, strangely, it kind of makes sense."

"Yeah, I knew that looking in a book of prophecies would help." Sango said proudly.

"A book of prophecies?" Kagome asked before flipping through the book. "Seriously, this is just wierd, even for you, Sango."

"Oh, come on." Sango objected. "There's no harm in it." Kagome rolled her eyes, still looking through the pages.

"Hey, look. Somebody predicted the second world war." she commented off-handedly.

"Kagome, could you _please_ take this at least a little seriously?"

"No." Sango rolled her eyes and Kagome shrugged.

"Incoming." Kagome announced. "Yukana and Sesshomaru, five seconds. _She who finds herself related to the almighty lord of the west shall enter the library to find a youkai idly chatting with a taijiya._"

"Kagome! Stop mocking me!" Sango yelled.

"I'm not mocking you, Sango. I'm mocking the book." Kagome grinned and turned around as Yukana and Sesshomaru walked in.

"Are you two picking at each other again?" Yukana scolded playfully. "Kagome, I would have expected more from you. Go to your room."

"Make me." Kagome said, sticking her tongue out.

"And she was just complaining about how childish InuYasha and Kaori were..." Sango muttered.

"Well, I deserve a vacation from being an adult." Kagome stated.

"Kagome, you need a vacation in general, but, unfortunately for you, there's no time for that, so you're just going to have to deal with it." Yukana said. "Oh, just for the record, if life gives you lemons and you bite them...that's not going to turn out well. Trust me, I know these things."

"Yukana, I may be naive, but I'm not stupid." Kagome declared. "And how, pray tell, did you come to find this out?"

"That, my friend, is none of your business." Yukana told her. "Come to think of it...it's not mine, either."

"Kaori, InuYasha, and the monk are coming." Sesshomaru said.

"Let's have a party in the sitting room. We can invite the staff as well."

"Lighten up, Sango. Just lay down on the sofa and Miroku won't be able to sit down next to you." Kagome said brightly.

"Kagome...did Sesshomaru hit you in the head this morning? Your moods are changing way faster than usual. Maybe you should get that looked at."

"Sesshomaru isn't fast enough to hit me." Kagome scoffed proudly.

"Oh? I beg to differ." Sesshomaru cut in. "Your mind wasn't completely on your task and you were defeated multiple times."

"Um...that's not the way it happened." Kagome objected. "That's just the way _you_ remember it, 'cause I brainwashed you before I left to take care of InuYasha and Kaori."

"A likely story."

"What about me and InuYasha?" Kaori inquired curiously.

"Hey! A party! Why weren't we invited?" Miroku asked.

"Um...didn't you get the memo? I sent it to you three weeks ago." Kagome said. "It must have gotten lost during shipping."

"Sanity has finally fled from this world."

------------------------------------------------------------------------

AR: Hey, I'm done. -grins-

DAG: ...

AR: Devi...does your shoulder hurt?

DAG: YES, DON'T TOUCH IT!!!!!!!!!!!!

AR: I wasn't going to touch it. I was going to have Kagome do something with it.

DAG: No, thank you. I would much rather see a professional.

K: That's fine, I wasn't going to look at it, anyway.

DAG: Yeah, I know, 'cause I wasn't going to let you in the first place. It's your fault, Angel.

AR: I was provoked...InuYasha told me to.

Se: That's just about the most unintelligent thing that has ever left your mouth, Angel. You have lost a portion of my respect.

AR: Don't I lose respect every day, though? It's a wonder I still have any.

Y: True, very true.

Ka: So, do I still have respect?

Se: I respect your cleaning abilities...

Ka: Oh...that's harsh.

AR: No, it's not. Do you know how long it took me to earn his respect?

IY: No. Do we want to?

AR: Yes, you do. It took me...a really long time. -grins- Anyway, I'm going to start on the next chapter. Toodles!


	24. A Hunt of Sorts

AR: Oh, look, it's another chapter. Who's got the net? We gotta catch it.

Y: I think she's finally lost it.

IY: She did that ages ago.

DAG: No, she acts like this on a daily basis.

Y: Poor girl.

Se: -nods-

Y: Maybe somebody should help her out.

Se: -nods-

Y: Ugh, well don't all take off at once.

DAG: Hey, she dislocated my shoulder, why would I want to help her?

Se: Indeed.

AR: I CAN'T FIND JENNA!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ka: Who's Jenna?

DAG: Her pancreas...

AR: OLIVER! I CAN'T FIND JENNA!!!!!!!! MOLLY! MOE! HELP ME FIND JENNA!!!!!

Ka: Do I even want to know?

DAG: No, you don't.

Y: I do.

DAG: Oliver is her stomache, and Molly and Moe are her feet. Don't ask me why she named them, or why she's talking to them, 'cause I don't know.

K: I think she might be a schizophrenic.

DAG: No, she's just crazy.

Se: Insanity isn't an illness, it's an excuse.

DAG: Well, then it's a damn good one. Anyway, Angel would want me to introduce the chapter. She normally says something about a disclaimer...but Kaori can take care of that.

Ka: Yeah, Angel doesn't own InuYasha or associated characters and/or plot lines. She only owns her original characters and the plot of this story.

------------------------------------------------------------

_You are always gonna be my love_

_Itsuka dareka to mata koi ni ochitemo_

_I'll remember to love_

_You taught me how_

_You are always gonna be the one_

_Ima wa mada kanashii love song_

_Atarashi uta utaeru made_

_(First Love: Utada Hikaru)_

------------------------------------------------------------

**Chapter Twenty-Three Recap:**

**"Um...didn't you get the memo? I sent it to you three weeks ago." Kagome said. "It must have gotten lost during shipping."**

**"Sanity has finally fled from this world."**

Don't Fall Away

Chapter Twenty-Four: A Hunt of Sorts

"Stop being so negative, Sesshomaru." Kagome scolded. "It's called an 'imagination.' You should get one."

"I have no need to get an 'imagination', as you call it. It seems as if all it will do is lower my intelligence."

"Sesshomaru, like it or not, everyone has an imagination." Yukana said. "And that includes you...you just don't use yours."

"I am aware."

"Really? I thought you were Sesshomaru." Kagome teased.

"I am relieved that you take Naraku more seriously than you take everything else, otherwise we would all be dead." Sesshomaru announced.

"You know, that's not very nice. You could be just a little nicer to me, since I'm the only reason your castle is still in one piece." Kagome argued. "If it weren't for me, these people would destroy it during their daily confrontations."

"If I remember correctly, it was you the blew Sakurako halfway across my study."

"I resent that statement."

"A likely story!" Kaori interrupted. "We all know that Kagome has the worst temper out of all of us, save for Sesshomaru."

"Yes, InuYasha normally finds himself on the recieving end of whatever Kagome's bad moods bring." Miroku added as Kagome rolled her eyes and plopped down next to Sango. "But, don't worry, Kagome. None of us hold that against you."

"Gee, thanks." Kagome replied sarcastically. "I feel so loved, now."

"Ooh, Kagome! Do you know what time it is?" Kaori asked excitedly.

"Could it possibly be time for me to take a nap?" she answered boredly. "Maybe it's time for me to get some earplugs."

"Kagome, I hate to burst your bubble, but I highly doubt that's going to help you very much." Yukana said apologetically. "But, it's always worth a try."

"Hey...have any of you seen Kirara lately?" Sango asked suddenly. "I haven't seen her in days."

"Come to think of it...I haven't, either." Kaori piped in.

"I'll help you find her." Kagome said, jumping up and raising her arm in the air.

"Yeah, me and Kaori will lend a hand, too." Yukana volunteered. Kaori nodded enthusiastically.

"Hey...what was I just going to say...?" Kaori asked herself, but nobody was listening.

"Kagome, keep in mind the time." Sesshomaru reminded.

"Yeah, yeah, I get it. I'll be back in time to train Sakurako and the others, I promise."

"Thank you guys." Sango said, standing up and smiling at the three of them.

"Well, since none of the rest of us aren't doing anything, I think we should all go and help search for Kirara." Miroku suggested. "What do you think, Sesshomaru-sama?"

"I have no objections."

"Great!" Kagome exclaimed. "Let's go, then."

If there was ever a stranger sight, it wasn't documented. The mismatched group of four youkai, a hanyou, a monk, and a taijiya filed out of the library and headed toward the main hall, where they ran into Sakurako.

"Hey...what's going on? Is something wrong?" she asked Kagome.

"Sango can't find Kirara, so we're going to search the castle and the grounds to see what we can find." Kagome explained.

"Oh, would you like me to help?"

"Hm..." Kagome looked at the group and counted them and herself. "Yeah, if you join in we can have an even number and we can split into pairs."

"Ooh! Do I get to pick the pairs, Kagome?" Yukana asked excitedly.

"This can't come out good..."

"You know what, Yukana?" Kaori interrupted, "I think that it would be better if Sango picked the pairs." She winked and Yukana shrugged.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

"Miroku, I swear, if you don't remove your hand, I'm going to do it for you." Sango threatened. "And if I do it, you're going to need Kagome to put it back on your arm."

"My dear Sango, this cursed hand just has a mind of its own and I can't seem to control what it does. My apoligies."

"Yeah...right..." Sango rolled her eyes and picked her way through the weeds and low bushes. She had her hands full with keeping Miroku in line and, also, keeping her eyes and ears peeled for anything that may seem out of place.

"Do you think that, perhaps, Yukana and Sakurako are doing any better?"

----------------------------------------------------------------------

"Yukana, stop that! I thought we were supposed to be looking for something?" Sakurako said impatiently. "You've been staring out that window for at least twenty minutes. This isn't going to get us anywhere."

"Chill out, Sakurako, Kirara will be fine." Yukana said dismissively. "I've seen Kirara in action, she can take care of herself. Sango isn't really that worried, but she just wants to know where she is."

Sakurako scoffed and placed her hands on her hips. "Seriously, Yukana, if you wanted to spy on Sesshomaru-sama and Kagome, you could have just gone with them instead of volunteering to stay here with me."

"I've already checked the castle out, Kirara isn't here. Chill out, everything's fine. Besides, I'm doing Sesshomaru and Kagome a favor."

"How do you figure?" Sakurako asked skeptically.

"It's simple." Yukana said. "Since you started staying at the castle, how many times have you seen Sesshomaru get close to someone?"

"You mean like that little girl? Um...Rin?"

"No, I mean _close_ to someone?"

"Uh...never."

"Exactly."

----------------------------------------------------------------

"InuYasha, get down here!" Kaori ordered. "You're not going to find anything sitting up in that tree."

"Why would I want to go down there? That's where _you_ are!"

"Hey! Lay off, will you? What on earth have I ever done to you? You didn't seem to mind being around me three days ago!"

"Feh. I never said it had anything to do with you."

"Then, who? What about somebody else could possibly make you hate me so suddenly?" Kaori snapped.

"That's none of your business."

"None of my business?! InuYasha, if it involves you hating me for some unknown reason, it's just as much my business as it is yours!" she yelled. "Now get your butt down here and help me search for Kirara! And while your at it, you can tell me what I did to make you hate me!"

"Leave me alone." InuYasha said, looking away from her. Kaori sighed and walked away, searching half-heartedly for the little neko.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Kagome stepped over an exposed tree root and crossed her arms.

"I think I sense something over there, Sesshomaru." she announced. "Five somethings...I think."

"Five? I was under the impression that we were only searching for one."

"Yeah, I know, but I really want to know what it is. One of them has a very familiar aura, almost like Kirara, but somehow different." Kagome said. "Can we go look?"

"If you must."

Kagome smiled and walked to their left. She pushed a bush out of the way and gasped.

"Hey, Sesshomaru...I think we should find Sango and tell her that we found Kirara." Kagome announced quietly. "And that she has a bigger family now."

"That can wait, we've got company."

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AR: Okay...so I'm psychotic, I'm crazy, and I've lost it...aren't those all pretty much the same things?

Y: Maybe, now that I actually think about it.

AR: Yukana, I'm not talking to you, since two of those supposed insults came from you. That's not the way I raised you.

Y: You didn't raise me at all...I was created this age.

K: I'm younger than you!!!!!!!!!!!!

Y: Kaori! Don't rub it in!

AR: Um...well, both of you are old. Yukana has her moments when she is old in both mind and body. Kaori...you're just old in body.

Y & K: Thanks...

Se: Your methods of flattery are staggaring, Angel.

AR: Yeah, I know. -grins-

IY: I'm not as old as all of you.

AR: Yeah, but you're still pretty old. You're at least 200, according to the third movie.

IY: And you know this how?

DAG: Angel has never been one to not pay attention when she's watching a movie. I think once or twice she figured out how old Sesshomaru is...but I forgot what she said.

AR: I forgot what I said, too. Anyways, that's all the time we have for today, folks. Toodles!


	25. Advantage or Handicap?

AR: Wow, this is the third chapter I've started this week. Yay me! -claps-

DAG: Angel, you're acting like you're five.

Kim: Yeah, but she always acts like that. You've known her since the ninth grade, so I would have thought you knew that by now.

AR: Life is too depressing, so I retrogressed back to the mindset of a five-year-old to get rid of all the stress.

DAG: Angel, that just makes you sound retarded.

AR: Um...so, how does your shoulder feel, Devi?

DAG: Ugh...no comment.

Breanna: Is this another opportunity for Angel to make a fool of herself and what's left of her friends?

AR: What do you mean "what's left of her friends"?

Bre: Um...exactly what I said. You're violent.

AR: I am not. I resent that statement.

Kim: And they forgot that I was here again... -sighs and walks away-

Bre: You hit some kid with a glass bottle in sophmore year, then you pushed a desk into him. That's violence.

AR: -shrugs- He deserved it. Besides, he was annoying, so it's alright.

Bre: You dislocated Devin's shoulder the chapter before last. That's just wrong.

AR: Well, she deserved that, too. Anyways, you get the whole disclaimer thing. I'm too lazy to type it today. Yukana, Kaori and the others will be back by the time the end skit comes around.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

_I know that you're hiding things_

_Using gentle words to shelter me_

_Your words were like a dream_

_But dreams could never fool me_

_Not that easily_

_I acted so distant then_

_Didn't say goodbye before you left_

_But I was listening_

_You'll fight your battles far from me_

_Far too easily_

_(1000 Words: Jade from Sweetbox - FFX-2 Soundtrack)_

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**Chapter Twenty-Four recap:**

**"Hey, Sesshomaru...I think we should find Sango and tell her that we found Kirara." Kagome announced quietly. "And that she has a bigger family now."**

**"That can wait, we've got company."**

Don't Fall Away

Chapter Twenty-Five: Advantage or Handicap?

"Now, really, they couldn't wait until _after_ we told Sango that we found Kirara?" Kagome said in exasperation as about a dozen demons came into her line of vision. "I mean, if they wanted to waste our time with lower level demons, then that's fine, but why couldn't it wait?"

"Don't judge by appearance, Kagome." Sesshomaru warned. "There are more than just what you can see."

"Yes, I know this."

"Oh, how cute is this?" Kagome tensed as Kagura walked calmly into view, followed by Kurayami. "I had heard that Kikyo's plan backfired, but this is unexpected. My, my, you look different."

Sesshomaru stepped foreward slightly, putting himself somewhat between Kagome and the other two females. Kurayami took note of this and nodded to herself.

"Kagura, he isn't watching." she announced. Kagome eyed them suspiciously, suddenly getting the feeling that they weren't there to cause harm.

"Tell me why you are here." Sesshomaru ordered. Kagome walked foreward and laid her hand on his arm, silently telling him not to draw his sword just yet.

"Smart girl." Kagura commented. "Naraku has formulated a plan and he was stupid enough to tell Kurayami and myself, believing that we feared for our lives enough not to tell anyone. But, as you can see, he was wrong. We don't want to see Naraku take over any more than you do and we're already helping to ruin his plans. It is only a matter of time until that bastard realizes this, however, so you and your friends should hurry if you have any hope of defeating him."

"They have a plan, Naraku and the Southern lord." Kurayami informed them. "They are trying to remove you, Kagome, from the picture. They think that once you are incapacitated, your friends will no longer pose a threat to their plan."

"You had best plan an attack soon, very soon. Otherwise, there will no longer be a chance. Understood?"

"Why should we trust you? Both of you have tried to kill me in the past, and one of you almost succeeded." Kagome inquired shrewdly. "And what, pray tell, would make you think that we would turn our backs and give the both of you the perfect chance to make another attempt at our lives?"

"You think too much." Kagura muttered, perfectly aware that Kagome could hear every word. "Do you not remember how ecstatic I was when we thought that Naraku had been defeated, only to find that he had faked his death in order to lure out Princess Kaguya and absorb her to gain immortality?"

"Yes, I remember. I also remember that it was you who helped Kaguya out of the mirror so she could try to freeze time and rule the world."

"I know this, but in my defense, it was Kanna's idea."

"Will you two shut up?" Kurayami interrupted irritably. "This is getting us nowhere fast, so we need to know now whether or not you're going to accept our help."

Kagome looked at Sesshomaru, carefully weighing the pros and cons in her head while, at the same time, studying his expressions to see what he thought.

"Fine, but we'll be watching both of you." Kagome announced.

"It's nice that you trust us enough to set...let's see...seven people on guard duty."

"Actually, I meant 'we' as in Sesshomaru and I." Kagome corrected. "If you decided to do anything, I think that just Sesshomaru and I would be enough to handle it."

"Kagura, we have five seconds." Kurayami said suddenly, turning to Sesshomaru and Kagome. "Grab the neko and leave. Quickly, before we all get into something we can't handle."

Kagome nodded and scooped up Kirara and the kittens before darting back toward the castle, Sesshomaru following closely behind.

They arrived back at the castle not even five minutes later. Kagome paced the entrance hall for almost a half hour before Sesshomaru was able to convince her to help him find the others.

"Now that I actually think about it, maybe this wasn't such a good idea." Kagome told him as they were making their way towards where they believed Sango and Miroku to be. "I mean, Kagura never gave us a reason to trust her before, so this could mean that my potentially bad judgment could endanger all of us, including Rin and Shippo."

"You are worrying too much, Kagome." Sesshomaru declared. "As you said, should anything happen, the two of us are more than capable of handling it."

"Maybe you're right." Kagome said. "Next time I doubt one of my decisions, all I need to do is have you quote me using more complicated terms."

"You are starting to sound like Yukana."

"Hey, I resent that statement." Kagome objected. "Yukana sounds like me, the only reason you see it the other way is because you're not around when I start talking like that."

"Be that as it may, but Yukana has been speaking like that for longer than you have been alive." Sesshomaru declared.

"That's nice...hey, there's Sango." Kagome said, waving her arms to get the taijiya's attention. "Sango!"

"Oh, hi Kagome. Did you find Kirara?"

"Yeah, she's back at the castle."

"That's good." Sango sighed. "Where was she?"

"She was over that way." Kagome said, pointing. "We actually found her in a bush...with a litter of kittens."

"What? Kirara had kittens?" Sango asked, not sounding as suprised as she probably should have been.

"Yes, Kagome counted four." Sesshomaru cut in.

"Hey, Sango, where's Miroku?"

"Eh, I left him lying unconscious somewhere south of here." Sango said dismissively. "I would guess five minutes, maybe?"

Kagome rolled her eyes and walked off in search of InuYasha and Kaori. She was actually a little worried about the two of them, since she hadn't seen or heard from or of them for at least an hour. She half expected the forest to catch fire or for one of them to turn up ranting about the other, either at the castle or while they were still searching. Another thing Kagome wondered about is why Sango had paired herself with Miroku when she knew that he had wandering hands. She smiled to herself. She knew what it was, and it didn't take a genius to figure it out.

-------------------------------------------------------------

"Yukana, do you honestly think that this is going to work?" Sakurako inquired.

"Of course I do." Yukana defended. "It's working already, can't you see it? Those two are almost inseparable, and they don't even know it yet."

Both women jumped when they heard the door slam against the wall as it opened, followed by a fuming Kaori, a smirking Kagome, and an amused Sesshomaru. Kaori stomped in and sat down next to Sakurako.

"I swear, if that moron says one more word to me, I might just snap and throw him against a wall. I mean, it worked for Kagome, did it not?" Kagome and Sakurako exchanged glances.

"InuYasha getting to you again?" Yukana asked, even though she already knew the answer. "Kaori, you need to learn to gain control over your temper."

"You're only seeing it from your point of view." Sakurako added. "Try looking at it through his eyes. You have to remember that he hasn't been here for a while, as far as I know, and he's losing Kagome's attention to his brother. He's just looking for something else. He's confused."

"Well, he can be confused all he wants, but he needs to leave me out of it, 'cause I don't want to hear him complain anymore."

"Tune him out, then." Yukana suggested.

"That's easier said than done."

"How about you both be quiet? I think I can sense the others coming."

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Y: Hey! I'm back!

AR: Yeah, and you missed the chapter.

Ka: Bummer.

Bre: Don't worry, she'll fill you in later.

AR: Maybe.

DAG: If she doesn't, Bre will. Besides, it's kind of impossible to do the next chapter if you guys don't know what's going on.

AR: No it's not.

Se: But it would be nice to know.

AR: Yeah...

IY: What is it with you and making me seem like a spoiled brat?

Ka: InuYasha, everyone does that, not just AR.

AR: Yeah! But, anyways, it's time to end this little thing. So, have fun waiting the two days for the next chapter!

Bre: Two days?

AR: With my internet down, I've had plenty of extra writing time. I wrote this chapter as well as chapters twenty-three and twenty-four all in about five days. Anyway, I forsee many more days without my internet, so I'm off to start the next chapter. Wish me luck!


	26. Aijou

AR: Okay, so I know that I haven't updated in well over a year and I've probably lost most of the people who watch this fiction, but I figured that I put it off too long and I can't keep using the writer's block excuse, so I'm going to try my best with this chapter and, hopefully, it will get me back into this thing.

Y: Wait, you're finally updating? Okay, everyone, get up! She's updating!

Ka: -pulls herself off the floor- It's about time. We've been sitting in the same position for months.

AR: Okay! So let's not bore them with this skit. Chapter time!

Disclaimer: I disclaim...blah blah blah, hooray everybody.

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_I'm conflicted_

_I inhaled, now I'm addicted_

_To this place_

_To you, baby_

_I can't stay away, I can't stay away_

_We get up, we go down_

_Then we go one more round_

_It's wrong_

_They say I can't stay a-_

_I can't stay away_

_(I Can't Stay Away - The Veronicas)_

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**Chapter Twenty-Five recap:**

**"That's easier said than done."**

**"How about you both be quiet? I think I can sense the others coming."**

Don't Fall Away

Chapter Twenty-Six: Aijou

"Well, if 'the others' includes InuYasha, then I'm leaving." Kaori declared. Yukana shrugged.

"Okay, bye-bye." Kagome said brightly, grinning as she waved to Kaori.

"Kagome, stop that." Yukana scolded. "Can't you see that Kaori is going through a mid-life crisis? I mean, you're supposed to be sensitive and understanding with things like this, remember?"

"Yukana, this is InuYasha we're talking about. He gets on everybody's nerves." Kagome said. "He's the...he's the pebble in your shoe that you can't find when you take it off to look for it, but it annoys the crap out of you when you put your shoe back on."

"That's a very lovely metaphor, Kagome."

"Yeah, I know. So, what exactly has you so mad at InuYasha, Kaori?" Kagome asked.

"He was mad at me first." Kaori snapped.

"Oh, very mature." Sakurako commented. "Now, really, aren't you supposed to be older than him?"

"No. InuYasha's older than I am." Kaori said. "By almost two years."

"It's a scientific fact that women mature faster than men." Kagome announced, getting strange looks from everyone else. "Well, it is. Trust me, I know about these things."

"That would explain why the slayer seems more intelligent than the monk." Sesshomaru said.

"Sesshomaru, that wasn't very nice." Kagome scolded. "But, since it's kind of true, I really shouldn't say anything."

"Indeed."

"You know, it's rude to talk about people when they aren't around." Sango stated as she walked in, Miroku and InuYasha following closely behind. The three had left Kirara and the kittens in the care of Moonle until they could be deemed healthy.

"Well, that never stopped anybody before." InuYasha muttered.

"InuYasha, I heard that. Sit."

InuYasha hit the ground, face first, and a long string of colorful words flowed from his mouth, as always. A blanket of silence fell over the room as they listened and waited for the spell to wear off so that they could have a civilized conversation without being interrupted by one bad word or another.

Kagome spent that rare moment thinking and looking back and forth between Kaori and InuYasha. She knew about his habits and how he tended to get on the nerves of those he loved, since she was able to observe firsthand.

Unfortunately, the quiet moment wasn't meant to last. Miroku decided it was the perfect time to grab a handful of Sango's rear end. Sango squealed and flipped him over her shoulder, glaring at him as he lay on the ground at her feet.

"Keep it up, Miroku, I dare you," she said dangerously. "You're going to wish to be fed to a hoard of hungry crocodiles."

Kagome flinched, suddenly imagining pieces of Miroku flying everywhere. No matter how much she tried to think of something else, her mind always wandered back to that image and the others soon began to notice her frustration.

"Kagome, is something wrong?" Yukana asked.

"Yes, Sango said that and now I keep picturing Miroku's body parts flying out of the mouth of some huge, starving crocodile." Kagome declared, acting as if it was obvious and looking even more flustered than before. "Oh kami, it's even worse when it's said out loud."

"Kagome." Sesshomaru interrupted.

"What?" Kagome looked over at him and tilted her head. "Is something up? You've got that look on your face again."

"Indeed, there is." Sesshomaru confirmed. "Is there not something you are supposed to be doing at the moment?"

"Oh...right." Kagome sighed. "Come on, Sakurako. We've got stuff to do."

Sakurako nodded and followed Kagome out the door.

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A few hours later, Kagome walked slowly into her room and threw herself on the bed, sighing comfortably and deciding she never wanted to move again. Sakurako, Kiri, and Yue were hard to get to. They kept asking stupid questions even after she had explained everything more than five times. Sakurako also had an annoying tendancy to try and prove her wrong. Her patience had run out on her towards the end, as if she had much to begin with, so she told them to practice whatever they knew on their own for a little while and left them to their own devices.

Kagome rolled over onto her back, her head hanging off the bed, and stared tiredly out the window. She was starting to wonder how she was going to deal with those girls every day, indefinitely. There was no way she'd be able to keep her temper in check, and she knew it. The thought made her glad that she didn't have any extra Beads of Subjugation.

She shifted so that her head was on a pillow, thinking that closing her eyes for a few minutes wouldn't do any harm.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

"The time has finally come to put our plan into action." Naraku declared, a smirk perfectly at home on his face.

Kurayami crossed her arms. "Which plan? The one where you use your devilishly good looks to take over the world?" she asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm, "Or the one where-" She was cut off by a quick blow to her cheek.

"You need to learn to hold your tongue unless I speak to you. Next time, there will be consequences," Naraku snarled.

"Ah, it seems I have touched a nerve," she taunted.

Naraku glared at her, his red eyes blazing. He couldn't fathom why he was unable to control Kurayami as he could with Kagura and Kanna. Even without her heart, it should have been the easiest thing that he had to do. The half demon was beginning to question what he was thinking when he decided that she could be of use to him.

"I may not have your heart, but I'll punish you severely the next time you step out of line, Kurayami."

"Are you threatening me?"

"It's not a threat; it's a promise, and one that I intend to keep if you cross me again."

"I'd like to see you try."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kagome woke up again just a few minutes before the sun dipped behind the horizon. She sat up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes, then looked around. The whole room glowed orange as the last rays of the day came through the window, then the sun was gone.

She swung her legs over the side of the bed, stood up, and stretched her entire body towards the ceiling. Why didn't anybody wake her up sooner? Her thoughts drifted back to the conversation with Kagura and Kurayami. Could they be trusted? Should she tell everyone else about the alliance they had formed? Kagome honestly didn't know.

There was a light knock at the door, then Sango stepped in with one of Kirara's kittens in her arms.

"Did you have a nice nap, Kagome?" she inquired.

"Yes, actually. I didn't do it on purpose, though," Kagome answered sheepishly. Sango smiled and walked over to her, holding the kitten out towards her friend.

"I was thinking, and I decided that I want you to have one of Kirara's kittens," she explained. "I said something to Kirara and she seemed to agree with me."

"Oh, Sango...thank you so much," Kagome said, already fawning over the cute little ball of fluff. "Now, let's think about what I'm going to name you." The kitten opened its large eyes and stared at Kagome. She purred and meowed at her, then reached up and lightly touched Kagome's chin with her paw. The young woman smiled at the cat.

"Aijou," she decided. "Your name will be Aijou."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

note: Aijou = Affection

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

AR: Okay, all done. Short update, I know, but at the very least I finally got something out. I didn't detail training, 'cause I couldn't think of anything to write for that.

Se: I preferred when you weren't writing at all.

AR: Well...I decided to focus on my deviantART account for a little while. Oh, and on that note, anyone who is reading Right Kind of Wrong that wanted to see Reiko can look on that account. My username is AngelxofxthexSoul.

Y: So, now you're promoting your art?

AR: Sure, why not? Anyway, I've gotta go start the next chapter. Hopefully it won't take me so long to update this time. -grins- Did anyone notice a dramatic change in writing style around the middle of the chapter? It just shows that it's been sitting on my hard drive for months... -sweatdrop-

Ka: One more thing, AR.

AR: What?

Ka: It's a shame when you have to re-read your own story, isn't it? -smirks-

AR: ...


	27. Dark and Light, Good and Evil

AR: Okay, so I'm really going to try and finish this story before I forget about this account again. I'm truly sorry that I made everybody wait so long. I'd like to give a shout out to Lady Kaliska for renewing my passion for this story, even though I doubt she's reading this right now. Honestly, I don't think that I could get past chapter five if I were to read it right now. -sweatdrop-

IY: I couldn't get past chapter five a year ago.

AR: Nobody said you had to stay. Like I've said before, it only takes one sentance to write you out completely. It's not that bad, though, because there are only a couple of chapters left to this thing.

Y: Yeah, so why quit now?

Ka: Unless, you're afraid AR will do something crazy to you. I'm not sure about her mind after a year or so.

AR: Hey, it could only get better from where it was!

K: I thought time worsened things like that, though.

AR: ...shut up...

Y: Hey, 'shut up' isn't a nice thing to say, Angel.

AR: Who said I was a nice person? Don't answer that. Chapter time!

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_I was losing myself to somebody else_

_But now I see_

_I don't wanna pretend, so this is the end_

_Of you and me_

_'Cause the girl that you want_

_She was tearing us apart_

_'Cause she's everything, everything_

_I'm not_

_(Everything I'm Not - The Veronicas)_

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**Chapter Twenty-Six Recap:**

**"Oh, Sango...thank you so much," Kagome said, already fawning over the cute little ball of fluff. "Now, let's think about what I'm going to name you." The kitten opened its large eyes and stared at Kagome. She purred and meowed at her, then reached up and lightly touched Kagome's chin with her paw. The young woman smiled at the cat.**

**"Aijou," she decided. "Your name will be Aijou."**

Don't Fall Away

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Dark and Light, Good and Evil

For a few months, things were quiet. The lack of any serious occurences was beginning to get Kagome worried. She found herself eagerly jumping up when there was even a slight noise. She knew that trouble wasn't something to be excited about, but the bizarre stillness meant that Naraku was biding his time and trying to catch them after they had been lulled into a false sense of security.

_'He's just wasting his time,'_ Kagome decided. _'He won't catch us by surprise. We aren't idiots.'_

Aijou padded into the room through the cat door, which Sesshomaru had reluctantly ordered the installation for, and jumped into her master's lap, purring in contentment. She had reached her full-grown size, about as big as Kirara, but was still having a little bit of trouble transforming. According to Sango, it took a couple of weeks of hard practice on Aijou's part in order to transform at will like Kirara could. Kagome smiled. In reality, Aijou was maturing very quickly and should master the task in a couple of days.

She was a really sweet cat and Kagome was very happy that the name she had chosen fit her well. Even though he would probably never admit it, Sesshomaru was also growing quite fond of the little creature. Aijou was often found in his study, sitting quietly on his desk while he did whatever it was he was supposed to be doing, and was following him when she wasn't with Kagome. Aijou was the only one out of the litter that rarely spent time around Kirara. One of the others had taken a liking to Rin, but didn't follow her around as incessantly as Aijou did Kagome and Sesshomaru.

"What are we doing?" Kagome wondered aloud. "We shouldn't just sit here while Naraku strengthens his defenses. He obviously isn't going to strike first, so why don't we? Waiting for word from Kagura and Kurayami is stupid. They might have just been toying with us."

"Kagome, are you talking to yourself?" Rin asked. Kagome jumped when she heard her voice, since she hadn't heard the door open. It turned out that Rin had been following Aijou and had all but gotten herself stuck in the cat door.

"Lord Sesshomaru always tells me that it's unhealthy to talk to yourself," the child said matter-of-factly, squeezing her bottom through the hole. Kagome imagined a small 'pop' noise when she did and smiled. Rin stood up and dusted herself off, then climbed onto the bed to sit next to Kagome.

"I wasn't talking to myself, Rin," Kagome lied. "I was talking to Aijou."

"Master Jaken said that talking to animals is almost as unhealthy as talking to yourself," she stated.

"Well, Rin, do you always listen to Jaken?" Kagome asked shrewdly. Rin blinked, obviously thinking about it, then shook her head. Kagome laughed and nodded smugly.

They sat like that, side by side, for a few minutes before Rin jumped up.

"I'm hungry," she declared, then scampered out of the room the way normal people enter and leave.

Kagome remained seated on her bed, staring blankly out the window as her thoughts chased each other around inside her head. There was a distant flash, then an arrow embedded itself into the railing on her balcony. She cautiously stood up and walked forewards. There was a seam in the middle and Kagome pulled the two pieces apart. The arrow had been hollowed out. When she split the pieces, a small, white feather and a carefully rolled piece of paper fell out.

She carefully unrolled the note and read, her eyes widening as she got further and further down the page. It was written by somebody with extremely good handwriting skills. The strokes were graceful and the lines were completely strait. Kagome quickly gathered the halves of the arrow, the feather, and the note and sped off towards Sesshomaru's study, Aijou following closely at her heels.

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Sesshomaru looked up as Kagome burst through the door, holding a few seemingly useless items in her hands. He raised an eyebrow as she threw them all on his desk: a hollowed out arrow that had been cleanly split in two, a white feather, and a piece of paper.

"The note, Sesshomaru," Kagome prompted. "Read it."

Sesshomaru picked up the piece of paper from his desk and unfolded it. Had he any less control over his facial expressions, his response to what was written would have been the same as Kagome's had been, but he had that control and his expression remained neutral. As he set it back down, Aijou jumped up onto the desk and started batting around the feather with her paws.

"It must have been Kurayami that wrote it," Kagome, after she was sure Sesshomaru had finished, reasoned. "The use of strictly formal language is exactly like her speech patterns when we met her and Kagura some months ago. The last line, though...it confuses me. 'Darkness does not always equate to evil, just as light does not always bring good.' What does that _mean_?"

"Perhaps it is a code of some sort," Sesshomaru said. "If Naraku were to intercept this somehow, it would mean trouble."

"That's true, but coding letters is so annoying. A lot of times, people don't even figure them out until it's too late, so why do it?"

"It will make sense when it matters."

"Sesshomaru, it matters right now, but I still can't make much sense of it!" Kagome said through clenched teeth.

"Yes, it does matter, but it will matter more later, and that is when everything will be clear to you, Kagome," Sesshomaru declared calmly. "Patience is a virtue."

There was a knock on the door. When Sesshomaru gave permission to enter, Kaori opened the door.

"Hey, Lord Sesshomaru, there's a girl in the main hall," she announced. "She said she's here to inquire about a job as a maid or whatever you have to offer."

Sesshomaru nodded and stood up. Kagome glared at him as he walked past her, then followed him, Aijou trotting behind her.

"Sesshomaru, you don't need anymore help around here," she said in an undertone. "You're just trying to stall."

"If you think too hard on it, Kagome, the answer will never come to you."

"It won't come to me if I don't think of it at all, either," Kagome muttered under her breath.

The rest of the walk was silent. They entered the main hall and saw Kaori talking with a young, seemingly human girl. Her pale blond hair was let loose and looked about as long as Sango's and her eyes were the color of emeralds. She was dressed in a simple redish-pink and black kimono. She looked at them when they entered and bowed respectfully.

"Lord Sesshomaru, I apologize for disturbing you in your home," she said. Her voice was soft and Kagome found herself wondering about her singing voice. The girl smiled and Kagome couldn't help but smile back, all of her frustration at Sesshomaru and worry about the note forgotten.

Sesshomaru beckoned Kaori over to him.

"Kaori, you've given the preliminary interview?" Sesshomaru asked, and Kaori nodded. "What are your thoughts?"

"Well...she seems like she's qualified. She has basic cleaning skills, she claims to be good with children - which is a huge plus with Rin and Shippo around - and my first impression is that she's very polite. Really, I think we should give her a trial run. She shows promise, and you know I could use the help. Yukana isn't very neat and Inuyasha...well, you've met him." Sesshomaru thought for a moment, then nodded.

"Alright. Kaori, set up a room in the staff wing and help her move her things," he ordered. "I want her prepped and ready to start in two days."

"Two days? Sesshomaru, you can't be serious," Kagome interjected. "That's just not long enough to learn all this stuff."

"Two days is plenty of time," Sesshomaru declared. "Kaori had it down in one." He spared one last glance at the girl, then turned and headed back to his study. Kagome sighed and followed.

"Alright, let's get you settled in," Kaori said. "Did you bring anything with you?"

The girl blinked and shook her head.

"No, just the clothes I'm wearing. It's all I managed to escape with."

"You poor girl," Kaori sighed. "Okay, come on. We'll get you a few simple kimonos and a room."

"Thank you. I'm so glad you and Lord Sesshomaru are giving me a chance," she said gratefully. "I'll do my best, I promise."

"Well, dear, you'd better hope your best is good enough," Kaori warned. "He's serious when he says you're gone if you can't do it."

"Oh, I know," she said, nervously biting her lip. "I'm sure I can do it."

"Good. Now, follow me," she ordered. "Oh, I may have already asked, but tell me your name one more time?"

Kaori turned and started walking, then almost tripped on Aijou, who was gazing unwaveringly at the new girl.

"Oh, my name is Hikari."

Aijou hissed and scampered off.

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AR: Whee! I'm so proud of myself! I sat right down and wrote this all in one night!

Se: It seems you are over the "writer's block" that you claimed to have for well over a year.

AR: What do you mean "claimed to have"? I was serious!

Y: Sure, you were. -winks-

AR: You guys aren't being funny. Stop picking on me!

IY: It sucks, doesn't it?

AR: Shut up, InuYasha. Don't piss off the writer.

K: Okay, okay, don't start. InuYasha, sit.

IY: Gah! -sat-

AR: Anyways! I hope to have the next chapter up as soon as possible, just not within this week, 'cause I'm on vacation from everything. Toodles!


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